3 Years

February 16th, 2008--February 16th, 2011

For 3 years I've been working at my church, Mission Hills, over seeing the student ministries. In those 3 years there has been more change in my job & personal life than I ever imagined would've happened. The transition to Mission Hills has been a huge learning lesson in life, as a pastor & personally as a family. The last few weeks has been a reflection of some of those learnings so with the anniversary date here I thought I'd post em;

• Student ministries are an adaptive aspect of the church. Student ministries will adapt and mold as voices in leadership direct. But the change takes time. We've tried to encourage students towards a relentless pursuit of a life based on their relationship with Jesus. To move from a life lived in casual proximity to Jesus and one that is holistically sold out to life with Christ.

• Families can overcome serious frustrations if they are on the same page & tackle big issues together. In the last 3 years we have experienced a fore closure, dealing with debt for the first time, being homeless to having a place to rent, and adjusting to life in South Orange County. The only way that sanity has been kept in our home is that Kim and I have had to stay on the same page as couple.

• My kids are 3 years older. Kind of a "duh" statement, but its true. My now 8 & 7 year old was a then 5 & 4 year old. Their life has changed so much and my experiences with them have changed so much as well. I love looking at old pictures and seeing how the boys have changed for the last 3 years.

• God is still in control of every detail of my life. I need to be more humble & vulnerable now in my life than every before. I am a child of God. First & foremost that is my identity. My growth as a husband, father & pastor is DIRECTLY affected by that truth.

• This student ministry hasn't even scratched the surface of it's potential. But the only way it'll continue to grow is if healthy leadership is in place & students take their life with Christ seriously. I know why some youth pastors feel the "it is time to move on" itch after a few years at a ministry setting. It can be easy to work hard for a few years to get a solid foundation & direction going. Continuing to move forward with health & passion takes focus, conviction and a willingness to take on more battles that will come your way.

3 years in the books, we'll see how many more come our way while we call South Orange County, California home.