Riley's Fishing Club

I just experienced something this week that I hope no youth leader or parent ever has to go through. Riley Laymon, 17, from Charlotte, NC past away Friday, January 20th in a car wreck. He attended Elevation Church and was one of the students that I personally mentored. His family is one of the nicest, loving, God-centered, and generous families I have ever met. I appreciate Tom, Lisa, and Ellie more than they know and their constant love for me impacted my life tremendously. They had me over to their house constantly, sometimes unannounced and Lisa would have a ten-star meal prepared within the hour. Not only are they great people, parents, and friends, they are a walking testimony of what it's like to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Riley was an incredible kid. He never seemed to stop laughing and smiling. We shared many laughs together...cheating in cards, teaching me how to hold a shotgun, making fun of my car and explaining to me how we could lift up the suspension (I still don't know what that means) all while making jokes about how his feet were sitting in a puddle of water (my car leaked), throwing the football, punching him in 'charlie spots', playing pranks at camp, yelling at strangers, messing with waiters, and teaching him the 'bush push'. He would text me stories of how he got some of his friends to fall for these childish pranks. More importantly, he trusted me. He asked me questions about life and Jesus. He asked me how to be a better witness. He left a legacy that will change the city of Charlotte forever. In fact, over 50 people accepted Christ at his funeral. The combination of the Gospel being preached with his walking testimony of love left people wanting to experience a new life with Christ. His father said it perfectly, "He wasn't fast but he had friendship quickness." Riley knew what it was to be a friend and to genuinely love people. Acts 20:18, 24 says, "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you...However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Life is short. Now is the perfect time to start living a life sold out for Christ for you don't know when He will call you home. Riley only lived 17 years but his legacy will live on forever. He loved like Jesus, daily. How will you leave your legacy?

24/40 Principle

Those just graduating college or changing seasons sometimes struggle with the meantime. Judah Smith puts it this way, "You're not where you used to be but you're not yet where you're supposed to be." That time in between can be full of anxiety. God wants you to trust Him. He knows what He is doing. He has already figured everything out for you. You were God's plan way before you were your parents plan. The only thing you are to do is marinate in His love. He never forsakes those who trust in Him and seek Him daily (Psalm 9:10).

Here's the tricky thing and I hope this encourages you. I was talking with my friend Reggi and he said, "The lie that the devil will want you to accept is that you need to be doing at age 24 what you will be doing when you're 40." Specifically for me, I know what God has promised me but I know it will take some time before I am there. I can often times get distracted and discouraged because I'm not doing yet what I believe God has called me to do. He keeps telling me that He just wants me to trust Him! Rest in Him and be still (Psalm 46:10). He must take you through a journey of pruning first with many trials. You will experience many ups and downs but God is with you always. Do what God has called you to do now and let Him open the doors in His timing. Be encouraged, you're doing a lot better than you think you are.

Boasting Before Battle

I was reading in 1 Kings the other day and came across a verse that is in my opinion the ultimate chirp (if you don't know what 'chirp' means ask a hockey player). It is found in 1 Kings 20:11 when Ahab King of Israel responds to Ben-Hadad King of Aram, "One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off." Ben-Hadad had just sent Ahab a message that not only was he going to attack the King of Israel but that he was going to destroy the city so severely that 'enough dust will remain to give each of his men a handful.' Ahab responded with such confidence because he knows that the Lord fights for Israel. In fact, it is recorded in 1 Kings 20:29-30 that Ahab's army inflicted over a hundred thousand casualties in one day. Talk about not being able to back up your words...

This happens a lot today especially in the sports world. Guys talk a big game or put out 'guaranteed wins' in the media before the game is played. Then when their teams lose, they look like idiots. This boasting before battle got me thinking about the Christian perspective on life. Many times, believers in Jesus will take the exact opposite approach in life. For some reason, we are scared to go into battle or stick up for our beliefs because we forget that we have already won the war...or maybe we just lack faith. Jesus has already risen from the grave and defeated death and sin, but why don't we act like it more? Why do we allow ourselves to be enslaved to sin? (2 Peter 2:19 says, "People are slaves to whatever has mastered them.") Why do we get so scared of the devil? (Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?") ... If the devil is the defeated enemy, then why does he have so much victory in our lives? It's time for us to boast in our King!

Prayer

There is no reason why we should not ask for great things. Without a doubt, we will receive them if we ask in faith (James 4:2-3, John 14:14), having the courage to wait with patient perseverance for Him and meanwhile doing those things that are within our power to do. I think we skip over the word 'meanwhile' in that previous sentence. We don't fully understand what that means or how long that requires us to wait. Horatius said, "There is no such thing as prayer unanswered or unnoticed by God, and some things we see as refusals or denials are simply delays." God's delay is intentional, just look at the life of Lazarus in John 11. Jesus delayed going to Lazarus to heal him of his sickness. In fact, he waited until he had already been dead for 4 days. This delay shows His glory and His delay in your life will in time show how awesome and in control He truly is. "When God delays, He is not inactive." (John Henry Jowett)

God listens and knows your heart.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah prays for God to raise a child from the dead. Verse 21-22, "Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, 'Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him!' The Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived." Again in 1 Kings 18, Elijah prays for God to send down fire on the altar to prove to the prophets of Baal who the true Lord was. Verse 37-38, "Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." God responds to our prayer!

Prayer is nothing more than an offering of faith. Frederick William Robertson said, "When we give into laziness, moments of prayer that are missed can never be redeemed. We may learn from them, but we will miss the rich freshness and strength that would have been imparted during those moments." God says He will move on the behalf of some...so Father use my faith to move and bring others to faith in you. Help me to trust you and to know that you are working even in my uncertainty.

The Important Two

The two most important influential things in your life is based off what you read and who you know. This is very true for the most important thing in your life being your walk with God. What you read about Him and the type of people that play a part in your walk with Him. It is also true for every circumstance in your life. The things you read will impact your knowledge and wisdom in an either positive or negative way. The people you know will help or hinder the situations in your life. They will also open up many doors of connections along this thing we call life. God puts people into your path not just for this season but also to help you find the next. It is also important not to necessarily believe everything you read and/or listen to all the advice you hear. This is where discernment is mandatory. This is where your relationship with Jesus comes into play. He will always speak to you, we just have to be in tune with the way He is speaking.

Since 2011 is about to be a wrap, I want to share with you a couple books I've read and some of my personal opinions about them. Some you might want to check out...

Good To Great by Jim Collins - You can apply many of these business truths to biblical aspects of leadership. He challenges the reader to not settle for good things but to remove good things for greater things.
Onward by Howard Schultz - This was one of my personal favorites because I am intrigued by minds like this. Again, he had many concepts of leadership that can and should be applied to ministry.
Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick - A great challenge of faith to stop living life in mediocrity and not only asking God to move in impossible ways but expecting Him to.
Big God by Britt Merrick - He's not the best writer but what he has experienced in life and how he has applied the truth of God to his life is admirable. A great challenge to live in faith using the examples of faith in Hebrews 11.
Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley - A great and challenging book for developing leaders in our students. A must read!
Crazy Love by Francis Chan - I liked this book but I would not recommend it for a new believer. This is a book to challenge those who claim to walk in God's love. Are we really doing it right? Do we really love Jesus? I understand and love Chan's heart in this book but it takes 87 pages to first talk about grace. You can't talk about God's love without talking about God's grace.
Dying To Live by Clayton King - This was the best book I read this year about my personal relationship with God. Very challenging and another must read!
Love Wins by Rob Bell - I do not agree with this book but it's important to read books like this because they force you to really see what God actually wrote. Read it for yourself before you form an opinion but then read Erasing Hell by Francis Chan. Erasing Hell was one of the best books I've read about what the Bible actually says about topics such as Heaven and Hell.

2012 to-read list...
Radical by David Platt
A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo
Forgotten God by Francis Chan
The Passion Of Jesus Christ by John Piper
Greater by Steven Furtick
Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Torn by Jud Wilhite
Gospel by J.D. Greear

Traditions

It's my favorite time of year and in my family we have a couple traditions around the holidays. Traditions that I hope will continue for the rest of my life. They provide great memories and are a lot of fun. For example, we always get our family Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving. Christmas Eve is always filled with two presents from my mom, new pajama pants and an ornament that reflects a memory of something that happened over the past year. On Christmas morning, she makes her famous french toast which we only have once a year and is my favorite thing ever. I'm sure you have some traditions of your own (Please share some in the comment space below). Traditions are great and we all hate when they are broken, especially because someone forgets or thinks we are too old for them. However, there are some traditions that must be broken and may in fact be hindering your walk with God. Let's take a look at what I mean...

I've grown up and experienced all kinds of churches. All kinds of denominations, old, new, good focus, bad focus, great leadership, poor leadership, etc. Some things that some churches don't realize is that they are being led by traditions instead of being led by the Spirit. Matthew 15 explains it. In verse 6, Jesus says, "Thus you nullify the Word of God for the sake of your tradition." We find ourselves continuing to do things that don't help us grow because no one likes change or doing the same things because no one wants to see something else 'fail'. We don't seek God daily in prayer for direction and we sacrifice relationships for the sake of our traditions or because this is how we started things. We try so hard to be different that we forget to live life and enjoy people. Seek the Lord and live in obedience to Him, then be prepared to do something uncomfortable or risky...

You're Alive

We all go through seasons of life. We all go through ups and downs but I think we often times miss the experiences of life because of our attitude towards a particular situation. Have you ever been frustrated, ticked, or felt disrespected? Have you ever been pushed to want to be angry, emotional, or scared? That's a good sign because it means you're alive! You have the opportunity to live life, don't pass up a moment to have fun because of your mood. Psalm 115:17 says, "It is not the dead who praise the Lord..." Embrace those emotions, embrace those feelings, and then follow in faith. It feels good to be alive...How are you going to make the best of it?