Today, I got to go eat lunch at Ancheaux’s in Clemson. I love going to this restaurant, but I only order the same thing and oddly enough it is not what they are know for, which happens to be burritos. Every time I go to Ancheaux’s, I order the Blackjack, a blackened chicken sandwich topped with Swiss cheese, bacon, tomato, onion, lettuce, and choice of fries or chips. I prefer the chips, which are potato slices that are fried and seasoned. If you are ever in Clemson, you should stop by and give it a try, you will no be disappointed.

During lunch I got to meet with one of my former students, who was in my youth group while in Florence. This was an awesome time for us to catch up, talk about life, and encourage each other. It is always a joy to be able to talk to my former students, especially those who were active and involved in the ministry.

Well, today I was able to sit and listen to my former student talk about some of the things that have been going on in his life since the beginning of summer. I listened to him tell me about some tough stuff and crazy stuff that has happened, but then I got this question, “what do you think?” Hearing that question, blessed me so much. I felt so blessed that one of my former students wanted to hear what I thought about what was going on in his life.

Every once in awhile, you wonder if what you are doing will make a difference.  It is times like this afternoon that confirm all the work, time, and energy that you put into ministering to students.  Jesus, I thank you for allowing me to minister in your power, strength, and wisdom.  Thank you for the awesome reminder today, that there are seeds that were planted sometime back that are growing.

PULSE 07 was amazing! Last night, was a HUGE highlight in all of my days of ministry. It was so much fun to see students piled into the atrium waiting to get into the auditorium for the concert. The band rocked it out, Adrian did a great job, the energy was through the roof, and volunteers did an awesome job working with the students. In my humble opinion it was a HUGE success.

Here is the quick breakdown of the night:

• Roughly 1345 students attended
• 270 Salvations
• Numerous students committing to live the sold out life for Jesus
• Over 155 volunteers ministering to our students

I will post more later, but wanted to give a quick update. Be sure to jump on over to Tony’s Blog to see some pics of PULSE 07.

There are a lot of people who are aware of my love for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. I have been attending the games at Williams-Brice Stadium ever sense I can remember. I love the energy of the stadium, the people I sit around, tailgating with my family, when the Gamecocks win, and much more.

With that said, I have been looking forward to this year with great excitement! That was until I read the following stories:

Spurrier defends safety after arrest, suspension

South Carolina QB suspended for missing classes

Are you serious? Guys, come on and focus!! Blake, Bobby, and Chris get to class. Emmanuel don’t hang out with people that could be carrying a gun! You guys have a lot of work to do on the field this year, do what you need to do to be there for your team!

I hope these events are not indicative of how the season is going to shake down! I have a good feeling that The Ole Ball Coach will straighten this stuff out!

By the way, are there any other Gamecock fans who read the blog? If so, leave a comment!

I am so psyched about tomorrow! PULSE is going to be through the roof. I really feel that we are going to the auditorium will be full of teenagers from the Anderson area. We were able to tell so many students about PULSE tonight at the tailgate for the Hanna/Westside Game. Also they got a chance to hear the music and the scratchin of DJ Skillspinz. (He is bad to the bone.) Go to iTunes and checkout his music! Please pray that tomorrow that God will move in the hearts of the students who attend and hear about the love of Jesus. It is going to be crazy!

If you missed my first post about PULSE…check it out here. Here is the picture of all the stuff that we are going to be giving away for FREE…

Yes…2 iPhones, 2MacBooks, 2Video iPods, 2 iPod Nanos, and a ton of gift cards!!

I am about to head out for the Hanna vs. Westside Football game, which NewSpring Church will be hosting a tailgate to help promote PULSE. Come on out, eat some great food, hear some awesome music, hang with some awesome NewSpring peeps, play some cornhole, and watch a great game.

Here is an article from the Anderson Independent-Mail about the game:

Games get no bigger that Hanna vs. Westside

This morning I went to a local restaurant to grab some breakfast, and I had an interesting conversation with the lady behind the counter. Unknowingly, she noticed that I worked at NewSpring Church (I had on my ID…the one that gets me in the door). At first, it weirded me out that she knew where I worked, and I wasn’t sure how until I looked down and realized I was wearing my ID..

She struck up a conversation with me and told me that she likes NewSpring better than another local church, which she named, but I will not. I proceeded to ask her why and this is what she said: “I like NewSpring because when I come to your church I do not feel that I am a number, you all make me feel that you care about me as a person. When I attend ? Baptist Church, it seems that all they care about is how much money I can give. They don’t say, “Hey Ms. ?, they say hey #151–the number that identifies me in the system and tells them how much I gave.”

Of course, that church doesn’t really do that, but how they make her feel is HUGE to her. They do not make her feel as someone who is loved and cared for because of her soul but because of her wallet! God help the church that is more welcoming to people with “bigger” wallets.

People notice how they are welcomed into the church and the underlying reason you greet them the way you do.

I am so thankful that I serve at a church that loves people no matter their race, gender, economic status, age, etc. Keep it up NewSpring, we are continually making a difference in the community in how we treat, love, and care for those that come. Not to mention, filling up 4 food pantries in the area with the food brought to our food drive. Check out Jake Beaty’s post with the details.

I have always heard that it is important that you pay attention to detail. I guess that a couple of lawmakers in the Arkansas Government missed that important piece of advice. Check out this article from Fox News:

Mistake in Arkansas Law Allows Any Age to Marry if Parents Agree

To all my awesome peeps who went on the INFERNO from Millbrook Baptist Church…you all rock! I have been praying that God would continue to work in your lives as you returned to Aiken. Each one of you adds something special to your group. I truly believe that God is already doing something within your group, and it is going to lead to something BIG! God has blessed you with a youth pastor that LOVES you all. I was able to sit and talk with Brandon many times, and each time, he expressed his passion for Jesus and for his students!

It’s my prayer that all of you will continue to live “the changed life” to all around you. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” When you accept Christ, you have crossed over from death to life…your eternal destination has changed…and your earthly life should reflect that. Live the changed life each and every day! Our lives should “tell the world that Jesus lives, tell the world that, tell the world that, tell the world that he died for them, tell the world that he lives again.” (Tell the World by Hillsong United)

Some of you maybe asking, “How do I keep Jesus first, as I live the changed live?” So in closing, here are a couple of things God placed on my heart to share with all of you. If you want to live out the changed life be sure to do these two things:

• ASK FOR HELP
  • Ask for Help from JESUS: We must PRAY and ask Jesus for continued strngth and encouragement to live the changed life. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
  • Ask for Help from OTHERS: We all need ACCOUNTABILITY in our lives. We need other people in our lives to encourage us and call us out when we are doing something stupid. Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
• STAY CONNECTED
  • Stay Connected to JESUS: The best way to stay connected to Jesus is through HIS WORD, the Bible! We must read the Bible daily, allowing Him to speak to us through His love letter to us. There is so much wisdom, encouragement, strength, and instruction that we must seek out if we want to continue to keep Jesus first and live the changed life. Proverbs 7:2-3, “Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
  • Stay Connected to Others: We all need COMMUNITY/FELLOWSHIP. We need to join together on a regular basis to worship together, to pray together, to learn together, to just fellowship with each other. We need friendships with like minded people who are passionate about keeping Jesus first in their lives. Commit to an IN-GROUP, commit to INFINITY (btw, INFINITY kicks off August 22, 6:30-8:00…be there!) Acts 2:41-43, “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.”

If you do the things above: ask for help and stay connected…it will be easy to say, “BRING ON THE HEAT!” You all rock! I look forward to hearing about all that God is going to do through each and every one of you! Stay faithful, stay strong!