We have come to worship...

We’ve come to worship...

In a meeting this past week I had someone tell me that I was to evangelistic. This statement came in a discussion about what God has called each of us to do! This same person told me they did not believe that evangelism was the purpose of the church. So continuing in the conversation I asked this well meaning person what they thought the overall purpose of the church happened to be. There response did not surprise me because many feel the same way, The response to the question was discipleship. Please, don’t get me wrong here! I personally believe that both evangelism and discipleship are very important for the church...but they are not the most important! We were created to worship! The Westminister Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” Many of us know the answer. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” While this is not a phrase drawn directly from Scripture, the wisdom behind it surely is. The Bible tells us with great clarity that man was created in order to bring glory to God. Thus the chief end of Christians and of the church is to bring glory to God. Our Lord gave us the answer when He told us to “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) By loving our Lord with all of our heart, soul and strength paints a beautiful picture of total devotion. This is true worship, total devotion and surrender to God! I love worship! I love laying it all down and totally surrendering my agenda to be in tune with God and what He wants from my life! We were created to worship! I hope that you are worshiping Him today in everything! I love you all! <><

What is your definition of worship?

I am doing research for a sermon series on worship and would your input! You can give input in a couple of ways! You can leave comment on this blog post or your can email me at steadfast@me.com

I am going to give all who give input an opportunity at winning a great book "Raising the Bar" By Dr. Alvin Reid. This is a signed copy and brand new book. I will select the winner by utilizing random.org

Looking forward to your input!

Jeff<><

Simple philosophy for student ministry

A simple philosophy for Student Ministry

In the Student Ministry that I lead we have developed a philosophy of ministry hat is very simple but yet so complex! Our philosophy is “Mission First, People Always and Ministry forever” We are in the business of making disciples! Mission First encompasses the Great Commission! We must never forget what our mission is! The Great Commission is important, but it is not the most important! We were created to worship our Lord! Worship needs to be at the center of our existence! Worship has to be daily, hourly sometimes every minute! I want to constantly be reminded about how awesome our God is. When our worship is right, every other aspect of our life will fall into place! As God’s people, we need to keep the main thing the main thing! The next part of my philosophy of ministry is “People Always”. This encompasses the great commandment. We are simply to Love God and Love People! We need to have a deep love for those we teach and minister to! Our students want to know how much you care for them. By loving them, you earn the privilege to disciple. We have to develop relationships with those we are ministering too! If we are going to shepherd students, we need to know something about them! We need to make every effort to get into their homes, meet, meet their parents. “People Always” means exactly what it says! Ministering to students does not always work on a conventional calendar or time schedule. We must meet students and minister to them where they are! Loving students requires time, patience and desire. In my life, I feel that God has called me to do this (minister to students) the rest of my life. The last part of my philosophy is “Ministry forever”. This encompasses helping students find out where they fit into the grand scheme of things! We must create opportunities for our students to do ministry! We as leaders need to remember that our students are very capable of leading out in ministry! Part of the discipleship process is allowing ministry to take place! Encourage students to be involved in ministry! We must create ministry opportunities! Mission First, People Always, Ministry Forever! To God be the Glory!

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

by Dr. Bob Moorehead

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."

The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made. I am a disciple of

Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down,

back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present

makes sense, and my future is secure.

I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,

small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,

chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,

promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by

presence, lean by faith, love by patience,

lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace

is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my

road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,

my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,

compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,

diluted, or delayed.


I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the

presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,

ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander

in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until

Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,

and work until He comes. And when He comes to get

His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

My colors will be clear.

I am not ashamed of the gospel . . . Romans 1:16

What is your favorite Florida Team

What is your favorite Florida Team

• Florida State University
• University of Florida
• University of Miami
• University of Central Florida
• University of South Florida
• FAMU

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Plugging in

Here we are on the eve of a new school year...many of you are probably wondering where you are going to plug in! Have you ever wondered what God expects of you? I have! I know that God wants me involved in ministry! I know that He has a plan and purpose for all of us and anything less than our best would be sin! It is easy for us to say that we are striving to please God in everything. It is an accepted Sunday School answer but to often our service and love to God fails to be reflected in our lives! I want you to think for a moment! What are you going to do in the morning when your alarm goes off? Many of you will hit the snooze button and continue to sleep, some of you will immediately get up and start getting ready and many, unfortunately will totally miss God! Can I ask you to maybe try something new? Tonight, as you are setting your alarm, think about how you are going to start your day! Can I ask that before you pick up your phone, or get on facebook; before you send your first tweet or text a friend; before you eat a bowl of Cheerio’s or a pop-tart; can I ask you to spend some time on your knees in prayer? Can I encourage you to pick up your Bible and plug into the word of God! Matthew 6:33 tells us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God...” We need to seek God first! What is God going to do in your life this school year? It will be so much easier for you to know if you are plugged into God! I love you all! <><

When the going gets tough

“When the going gets tough...his promises are enough...”

Chaos, confusion, confrontation, conflict these are all things that we as believers need to avoid. But do you ever wonder what you would do if you had to face these problems! His promises are enough! We serve a BIG God! We serve a God who is truly mighty to save! We have to stand on the promises! I love the old hymn! Standing on the promises! Our God has given us many promises, so in this blog I would like to take an opportunity to talk about just a few!
First, there is the promise of eternal life...Is this something that we should not celebrate! If you are a born again believer, if you have a real relationship with Jesus Christ eternity is in your future! God’s word teaches us “For God so loved the world in this way: He gave His only Son, so that everyone that believes in Him will not parish but have eternal life”. Eternal life! Think about it! How long is eternity? Can we put any numeric value on eternity? No way! Think about it, you could possibly live 100 years. Think about 100 years in relation to eternity. It does not compute because it is so miniscule. There would be no way to measure it! 100 years on a timeline represented by eternity would be a tiny dot! Believers have the promise of eternal life! Scripture teaches us that our life is uncertain “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that happens for a little while and then vanishes away.” Physically we don’t have the promise of tomorrow! But for the person who has trusted in Christ eternity is in your future!
Second, we have the promise of an abundant life. John 10:10 says “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and destroy. (Jesus said) I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Are you living the abundant life? I don’t know about you but to me the abundant life sounds pretty good! When I trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior I experienced the abundant life like never before! He is truly all I need! He will meet our needs! He gives us the promise of an abundant life.
Third, He gives us everything that we need. The little things. He also has created an atmosphere that meets our needs! God thought of it all! 2nd Peter 1:3 tells us “For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called Him by His own glory and goodness.” Our God thought of everything and He has given us everything required for life and godliness! What a promise! We can be imitators of Christ! When people look at us they need to see Jesus! We were created in the image of our heavenly Father. If God has a photo album, your picture is on it. If God had a refrigerator, your art work would be on it! He meets all of our needs, our little needs our big needs, all of our needs!
Fourth, we also have the promise of His presence. Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid ore terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” We have the promise of His presence! I get excited knowing that I am always standing in the presence of God. The Bible is full of promises that a loving God has for those who follow Him. Embrace the promises and realize that we truly serve an Awesome God! I love you all! <><

The Office Poll

Who is your favorite Character on The Office?
Stanley Hudson
Michael Scott
Jim Halpert
Pam Beesly
Kelly Hannon
Ryan Howard
Angela Martin
Kevin Malone
Oscar Martinez
Andy Bernard
Dewight Schrute
Phyliss Lapin
Meredith Palmer
Kelly Kapoor
Creed Bratton
Toby Flanderson

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Power Prayer Teams

Power Prayer teams!

Over the next couple of weeks schools in our area will be starting back and students will begin a routine that will run its course through the end of May next year! Now is the time to help our students develop a discipline that will help them in their walk! Each week I am meeting with students on different school campuses for the purpose of prayer! The Bible teaches us to pray with out ceasing...we are to in all things pray! The Bible also teaches us to be anxious for nothing and make request of God! Our students need to understand the power of prayer! We need to help them develop a strong prayer life! The best way to learn it is just do it! Appoint a team, give them the resources they need and make it happen! Starting Tuesday September 1st we will meet at 7:05 am at Clay High School and on Wednesday September 2nd we will meet Fleming Island High School at 7:05 am for the purpose of praying. Megan Allen will lead at CHS and Cameron Davis will be leading at FIHS! Make plans on being there and...pray!

Having Vision

Having Vision...

What is your vision for your student ministry? What are you planning for? To often in this day and time student ministries tend to run week to week, never really thinking beyond next summer or in many cases next week! To many ministries struggle in trying make the plan work, why? I believe it is a lack of vision! Student ministry leaders must know the direction they are headed. Leadership requires a road map that clearly points out the direction your ministry is going. Someone once said “failing to plan is like planning to fail.” In planning, there are several key objectives that cannot be overlooked. First you as the Student Pastor must know the direction you going. You must spend time in prayer, asking God for clarity and direction. Second, you (the leader) also need to spend ample time in the word! I know what you are thinking, how much time is ample time? That depends on you and God! The key is that you must have some sort of systematic study that keeps you firmly planted in the word of God. You also need accountability. There are so many lame student ministries in the world today because of lame student ministers. I have traveled to many states and had the opportunity to see many student ministries. So many of those serving in ministry need to reevaluate their call, and go to work! Student Ministry is not a place to cruise. It is one of the ministries within the church that has a front door and a back door and the clock is always ticking! Your students come in in the sixth or seventh grade and before you know it you are recognizing them in a graduates service. Timing is critical! Accountability makes it easier for you to do the work that god has called you to do! We all need someone in our lives to help us stay on track and to ask us the tough questions. In my life, I perform better when I know that I am going to be held accountable, Vision for student ministry is critical. Andy Stanley says, "Your ministry is perfectly designed to achieve the results you are currently getting." Are you happy with the results you are getting? If not, you must then rethink your vision. Some times God changes our vision or maybe our location. These are exciting times when you can spend time with God searching for direction for your new ministry. In cases where you transition in to an existing ministry, you owe it to those who are serving to allow some time, before drastic changes are made! You must take time and get to know those who are serving and in leadership. You must then begin to develop relationships and also begin to communicate your vision for the ministry. Abrupt changes often confuse students and hurts ministry. I am not against change, I just believe timing is essential. Many times the students are already dealing with enough trauma depending on how close they were with the last minister/leader and how much time has elapsed without leadership. In communicating your vision, you must allow input. Leaders who are in place often times have developed strong relationships with those who you will lead so communicating your vision is critical. Training is essential, your leadership team must know your expectations and you can accomplish this through training. In my current ministry, I looked ahead on the calendar and prayed about the time that I would like to have my leadership plan in place and for the most part I am right on schedule. I am currently in the honing mode, I am making adjustments and I am communication my vision. Vision also requires you to evaluate the people on your team in leadership. Leaders on the team that are not buying into your vision have to be dealt with. Leadership is not always easy and some times to move forward you have to cut personnel who are not moving in the direction you are leading. Having vision for your ministry requires you to keep the overall picture in focus! Over the next several weeks I will address planning and vision. Praying for you all! <><

Friday give away

LIfe in Student Ministry...A Friday Give Away

Last night I got to spend some time with a wonderful group of people from the Lafayette Association. I had the privilege of talking about Student Ministry to many of the workers from the Churches in the association. On my drive home (about 100 miles) I had an opportunity to reflect on the night and some of the questions that these dedicated workers ask me. I am convinced more than ever that student ministry workers want to deliver the goods! We talked last night about making sure that we keep our ministries all about the gospel! Our students are coming because they want to learn and understand theology and the things of God! We need to utilize all of the tools available to us to reach this generation for Christ. I traveled to this conference to teach and encourage and left knowing that I learned something and was very encouraged.

One of the tools that I discussed at my conference was a book by Dr. Alvin Reid called Raising the Bar. Every student ministry worker needs a copy of this book! It has been out for a while but it is still very relevant! I have a brand new signed copy of the book that I will send to one of the readers of this blog! All you have to do is leave your name on this blog post comment link, then I will enter all names on to random.com and choose a winner! Look forward to hearing from you! Good Luck!

What is your favorite SEC team?

What is your favorite SEC Team?
Vanderbilt
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Lousianna State (LSU)
Mississippi
Mississippi State
South Carolina
Tennessee

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Won't you be my Prince of peace

Won’t you be my Prince of Peace…

Peace, many search for peace! To often people search for peace through worldly things because they believe that if they could just get more things, all will be ok! Unfortunately material items may bring you peace for a little while they will not bring lasting peace. New cars get old, new clothes fade, electronics outdate themselves so quickly and it always leaves us wanting more, better, faster, brighter so our quest for peace through things leaves us unfulfilled and weary. The writer of Ecclesiastes realized this in his on personal quest for the good life when he figures out in the very last chapter he simply writes “Fear God and keep His commands.” The Bible teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Believers need a healthy reverence for God! He is God! To those who truly know Him, they also know that He is true peace! Cease striving know that He is God! Peace! I love you all!

There is a spirit of a storm in my soul...

I believe everyone has a spirit of the storm brewing in them. Someone once said, you are either in a storm, heading for a storm or coming out of a storm! Where are you today. Scripture teaches us to rejoice in the Lord always...we know this is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes we feel so overcome by the storm that our rational thought process just kind of goes out the window and often we flounder and struggle. We must always remember that our Lord controls the storm! Our God has our best interest at heart, and while we are in the storm you can be assured there is a lesson to be learned. In my life there have been many storms...God has always navigated me through and I have always come out on the other side having learned a valued life lesson. I don’t relish the storm, but I do relish the maker of the storm. He has never left me...or forsaken me. So when the dark clouds began to gather about you, and the wind begins to blow...trust Jesus...don’t dwell on the storm...think about the Son! <><

If your going my way, I'll go with you...

As believers, we have somehow gotten our priorities all mixed up. The 21st century church has become very proficient at trying to justify God’s existence. We work hard at trying to make God fit neatly into our little lives. We have conjured up all kinds of theories to make our selves feel better about what we do not know, about the Creator of the Universe. Our personal theology in many ways has become very self serving. We gladly follow Jesus until the road becomes rough and then automatically are looking for an alternate route! I listened to well meaning students talk about their “camp high” in speaking of how awesome it was to be with God for the week of camp. Many students felt the overwhelming presence of God during the week. I believe it is because they went to camp with an expectation that God was actually going to do something. I gently reminded them that Christ Jesus is also with us in the valley. His word teaches us that He will never leave us nor forsake us! The Creator of the universe has our best interest at heart even though sometimes we don’t act like it! I was listening to a Jim Croce song this morning and one of the lines of the song stuck out for some odd reason. I have heard this song at least 500 times in my life, but for some reason some words in the song really caused me to think. The song is “I got a name” and the statement that Jim made in the song is “if your going my way, I’ll go with you” I think what really made me think is so often we treat our Heavenly Father this way. We want God to go the way that we want Him to go! We will not say that, but in reality it is the way that we act. What would you do if God ask you to go and do something that you did not want to do? Our Pastor ask of our congregation this morning “What if, God ask you to sell your house, and go to a city where the gospel is needed and start a church?” Would you be willing? It is so easy for us to say that we would really having no intention of leaving what is comfortable to us. Don’t get me wrong, I am not beating up on you in this blog...I just want all of us (me included) to think about the direction that we are going. We need to search out the direction that God would have us to go...and head that way, not questioning God or wondering if this is going to meet the expectations that we have for self. Like the song says “I’ve got a dream” and part of that dream is to head down life’s highway! Can I tell you this morning the journey of life requires a sovereign guide and His name is the name that is above all names. There is power in His name! Ask Him today for direction

Student Ministry and the Church

We are living in a time where students seem to be leaving the church in droves and not returning. Both traditional and contemporary student ministries in my area have all felt drops in attendance with more and more of the student population choosing not to affiliate with the church. We have heard some national evangelical leaders question the validity or need for strong student ministries siting that society cannot distinguish a difference between students who actively attend church and those who do not. The easy believism of the 90’s has caught up with the church and many students do not see the need or have the desire to plug into ministry. I believe that we are at a critical point and that we need to help our students fall madly in love with our Lord and Savior! We need to invest in this generation of students! We need to let them see Christ in us and see how important a real relationship with Jesus is to us as leaders. For so long we have concentrated on having relationships with students and because of this we have failed to allow students to see what Christ is actually doing in our own lives. This has to change! This generation needs to be challenged. Student ministries must stop coddling students and begin to create an environment where leadership flourishes. We need to expect students to rise up to the challenge and become an active participant in the movement. One of the problems that I see, is there are very few student ministries that are actually challenging students to go to the next level in their relationship with Christ! What do you expect of your students? My prayer for the students that God has entrusted me, is that they genuinely involve them selves in the work of the church! I want them to fall in love with Jesus and because of a real life changing experience I expect them to rise up to what ever challenge that our God places in front of them. Students need to own their faith! It is not enough for them to believe our vision for the church and our student ministry, they need to have input on the direction we are going. In my own ministry we have created a leadership rich environment. I have trained my self to not give students solutions to ministry challenges so quickly. I want the their thought process to engage and want them to develop solutions that will help them in what ever challenges they face. I also encourage dialogue, and I listen no matter how off the wall their response might be. If we expect our students to be leaders in the church ten years from now we have to allow them to have input in the ministry that God has called us to lead. As leaders we must show them that we feel their input is valuable. They need to see the direction that we are leading and then they must buy into the vision. If they do not, you are not leading a movement, you are just doing ministry. So many churches are just doing student ministry. The solution is simple! Invest in students. Look for students who first have a deep love for Christ and give them the opportunity to lead. Let them know how important they are to the Kingdom of God and also let them know how important they are to you and the ministry God has called you to do. I tell students all the time that I cannot do ministry without them! Challenge them! They really want to be challenged! They want to learn the essential doctrines of the church and they also want to have opportunities to serve. Students are looking for a cause, something that they can pour their lives into! As a veteran college and student pastor, I believe our best days are front of us. We have a great group of leaders who are wanting to take the reigns! As student leaders we have to let them learn, let them live, let the love, and then let them Lead! Peace! <><

This is the day

This is the day which the LORD has made;
         Let us )rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24 NASB)

This is the day the Lord has made. Wow, what a statement the psalmist makes. We need to think about this statement each morning when we rise. We should realize that our creator has given us this day! What is unfortunate is that many people miss God each and every day of their lives. When you miss God, you miss the purpose of the day that He created. I am convinced that each and every day countless people miss the devine purposes that our creator has for us. Why you might ask, because sometimes we are so concerned with the messes we have created and it keeps us from recognizing the real purpose that our Lord has for us. We fail to realize that our God meets our needs each and every day! We fail to see that He meets our daily needs so it makes it hard for us to rejoice in the day! Our lack of faith keeps us from being prepared to realize the blessings that each day can bring. We need to turn from sin and selfishness, and trust the God that created the universe; trust the God that fearfully and wonderfully knit us together in our mothers womb! After we trust, we need to rejoice...look around, we live in a pretty amazing place. We have a lot to rejoice about, so rejoice today! Love God...love people...and rejoice! I love you all!