Joe Cool Surfer

One time, while my family was on vacation in Hawaii, my brother, sister and I went surfing. We rented long boards & wetsuits and went surfing. We all had a blast, and (I think) we all stood up and actually surfed a wave that day. None of us are surfers, but for that day, we pretended to be.

While that day was really fun, there is something that is quite embarrassing that my brother and sister will never let me live down. Before I tell you, I have to say that I was young and stupid. I thought I knew it all. Anyway, we had just rented the boards and the wetsuits and had found a good beach to surf at. It was a very rocky beach but the waves were really good for beginners and quite about out from the rocky beach. We had all put on our wetsuits and were paddling our surf boards out to where the waves were. It wasn't until we got half way out that I realized I forgot to take my sunglasses off. It was that moment of realization where you realize you forgot something, and you turn back to decide if you'll go back to correct it. So you just stand there for a while looking really hard at the place of correction, but you decide it's too far and to keep pressing on. So that is what I did, I kept pressing on.

"Dude, you forgot to leave your sunglasses back with mom," my brother said.
"I know I forgot, but it's too far back," I said.
"You're going to loose your sunglasses while surfing."

Then I said the one thing I will never live down, the one thing that my siblings make fun of me for... "But I'll look cool!" That is exactly what I said. Sure enough, on the first wave that I caught and fell off of, I lost my sunglasses. They wiped right off my face. I tried to look for them for a bit, but I couldn't find them. I had lost my sunglasses... but the important thing is that I looked cool... Just kidding.

But I tell you this story because Crash is going to the beach. We will be heading out of the hot valley and to the much cooler beach. We are all going to have a blast, plus if you wear your Crash t-shirt, you'll look cool. And that's something you probably won't loose. So join us tomorrow morning at the church as we head to the beach all day tomorrow. Don't forget, bring $5, a sack lunch, a bathing suit, a towel, and money for dinner on the way home. Make sure I know you're coming so I can be sure to have a seat in a car for you.

SummerBlast Is Here!!

Hey everyone! It's been a busy week, as this week is SummerBlast at Desert Springs Church. SummerBlast is our children's, fun week long summer program. Every night this week our church is invaded with children K-6th grade who come here to sing, dance, play games and most importantly learn more about God.

The theme this year is SeekerMania. It's all about drawing near to God. Our theme verse is Hebrews 10:22, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." We have been learning that, "The time is always right, and the path is always clearto pray and draw closer to God." This idea of drawing near to God correlates with a series of passages in Matthew 6:5-7:23. First Jesus teaches us how to pray. Then He talks about where we should store up our treasures. After that He talks about not worrying what's going to happen and to just trust Him. Then He talks about not judging others. Lastly Jesus talks about who we should make sure we are connected to, comparing us and Himself to branches and a tree (respectively).

I am so encouraged to see SO many students, both, junior high and high school, volunteering to make this week a success. And you're all volunteering in various areas, Games, Wow, Toons, Snacks, Jr. crew leaders, and some of you leading a crew. It's great to see you all showing you area part of this church and investing in the lives of people even younger than you.

Tonight we are heading into night 3 and things so far have been fantastic! I have been leading the games with an awesome array of volunteers, including my co-leader & partner in crime, Mr. Greg T.T. Jackson (pictured above). I definitely could not do it without all of you wonderful volunteers. Thank you so much!

Today is Crazy Hair Day, so I must go and get my hair all crazied up. Remember there is no Crash tonight, but you can still come out and volunteer. So I hope to see all of you here.

I Lost My Copy Of The Plan

Does God have a plan for everyone, even the homeless? This is a great question that was asked by a student. Does God have a plan? It's a good question, and one that I've wondered many times. Is there one overarching plan? How do we know we are within that plan? What happens if we mess up or don't choose the plan God has for us? Does that mean God's plan was wrong and He isn't perfect or all knowing? Jeremiah 29:11 seems to suggest there is a plan, "For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (NIV)." But is that one plan? Is it a specific or general plan? These are questions that philosophers have pondered for hundreds & even thousands of years, and still wonder today.

Here's what I think. There is no plan... at least not a specific one. A closer look at Jeremiah 29:11 shows us that the word "plans" is a poor translation. Going back all the way to the Hebrew the word there typically means thoughts, purposes, intentions. If you think about it, God's ultimate intention for all of humanity is to prosper and be blessed within a close relationship with Him. In Genesis, we find that He created man in His own image and called it, "very good." As much as God has a plan, we have free will- the power to choose. I believe that God has intentions for us, I believe He created us with a purpose, but again, ultimately it's our choice.

The main purpose of human beings is to worship, honor & praise God. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17 NIV)." God created us so we could praise Him. But what would make the praise genuine, authentic & real is if those praising Him had the choice. Think about it, everyone would say they would want someone to choose to love them, not be forced to love them. See, God wants to be in an intimate relationship with us. He wants us to choose to love Him, not to have to love Him. But free will is something for another blog post... or 50 other blog posts. Let's look back at the idea of God's intentions & purpose for us.

So in general, we are to honor & praise God in all that we do. That is very general. Let's get a little more specific about God's plan for us. One awesome thing that God did, was that He made us unique. He gave us different looks, different talents & different passions. For example, I think one of God's intentions for me is to serve as a junior high pastor. I love young people, and I love God and I love to connect the two. Those are all passions that God has given me. Another thing I love is story & pop culture, movies & music. For a brief period I actually was an actor. Honest. I had an agent, a manager, and I even did a commercial. I could have chosen to continue in that. It was another passion God gave me. Honestly, I think I could have glorified God as an actor and pointed people to Him. But ultimately I chose to work in youth ministry & to love & accept young people, and point them to Him.

God's thoughts & intentions for us, is much like a parent's thoughts & intentions for their children. One thing my mom would always tell me to encourage me was, "I just want the best for you." I can hear God's voice saying the same thing, "I just want the best for you. I can nudge you in a direction, I can open doors, & help set up meetings, but ultimately it's your choice. Remember, I want the best for you." So to answer the question, does God have a plan for everyone? I'd call them more thoughts & intentions, these are strengthened by all that He has given us: talents, passions, appearance & opportunity. His thoughts & intentions for us will also always glorify Him, but they can be played out in many different ways. He gives us everything we need to follow in His intentions for us. He wants the best for us but ultimately leaves the choice up to us. So, what are you going to choose?

Karaoke Means Empy Orchestra

Did you know that the word "Karaoke" means "empty orchestra" in Japanese? I know it's hauntingly beautiful, whatever that means. When you sing Karaoke, you sing into a microphone, a song that is blaring through a sound system as if it were played on an Ipod. So, yes, the orchestra is empty, there is no one playing into instruments to make music. But Karaoke is anything but empty. Karaoke is not something you do by yourself, otherwise you might as well just stick to singing in the shower or in the car. No, what makes Karaoke fun, what makes people want to go sing karaoke, is being with people, and laughing at each other. Karaoke is a fun time to get together with friends, hang out, have fun and sing songs. Singing karaoke is a fun time to get silly and sing your favorite songs, even if you can't sing (like myself).

One of my favorite moments from last year happened back in January. Crash hosted a Karaoke event in the Family Room. Everyone had tons of fun singing songs and listening to their friends sing songs. It was great to see everyone get up on stage and sing the YMCA while doing the hand motions, and watching all the girls get up and sing Mamma Mia was a lot of fun. But my favorite part of the night is when I got up with all the guys to sing awesome fun songs like Yellow Submarine, Eye Of The Tiger and We Are The Champions.

I will never forget that night, forever in my mind it will always be known as "good times". In fact, they were such good times, that we are going to do it again. Junior high students are welcome and encouraged to join us tomorrow night from 5-8:30 PM up in the Loft to sing some fun songs that everyone is bound to know. I hope to see you all there.

Welcome! Aloha! Willkommen! Bienvenido!

Tonight is our Crash Kick-Off. It's the first time our new 6th Grade students will be coming to Crash. I have a lot planned, we are going to have SO MUCH FUN! But because we are welcoming in new students, I thought I'd share a little about myself and my vision for Crash.

My name is Cameron Coulter & I graduated from Biola University, in 2007, with a degree in Christian Education Ministries & a minor in Biblical Studies. Although I have only been here at Desert Springs Church serving as the Pastor of Jr. High Ministries for the last 3 years, I have been involved with junior high ministry for 8 years & have loved every minute of it.

In my experience with Jr. High students, I have come to realize that the biggest thing they want is to be heard, loved & accepted for who they are. God has given me the passion & patience to listen to them, to love & accept them & to guide them. This is the age where the students begin to figure out who they are & what they truly believe. This is the age where they begin to own their faith & realize what it really means to be a Christ-follower, and I want to help them do it. It is my goal to accept students where they are at, as well as to encourage, foster & help develop their relationship with God.

Our Jr. High ministry is called “Crash” for a couple reasons. The word “Crash” carries with it the idea of community, because a group of rhinos is called a crash (just as a group of fish is called a school). The word “Crash” also carries with it a feeling of relaxation. After a long day, all you want to do is go home, unwind & not to worry about anything… to crash. I want Crash to be a place where students can come, be a part of a God pleasing community, unwind from their day & just crash.

I want to get to know each family that has a student in Crash. I want to individual time with each family, personally getting to know them and sharing with them my vision for Crash. The best way I know how to do this is over dinner. So, it's my goal to have dinner with every family this year. Please help me make this happen. So welcome to junior high & welcome to Crash. I hope to see you all there tonight at Crash Kick-Off

The Importance Of Prayer

Today's question reads, "Why should I talk to God if He doesn't talk back?" Now this is a good question. but really what the student is asking is, "Why should I pray? How does God talk back?"

In the Christian faith, prayer is very important. It is how we communicate with God. Although God knows everything, it's better to actually tell Him. Speaking secrets, confessing sin, and asking for help can feel like a weight is lifted. In fact 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you." It can be very freeing to speak. God does know everything, but He wants to hear it from us anyway. Something my high school pastor said that I always found interesting and true was this, "If God knows everything, then I can tell Him anything." We can tell God anything: praise, problems, sin & temptation and even doubt. See, communication is one of the big things that goes into any relationship. If God wants a relationship with us, which He very much does, then we need to communicate.

Now some of you may be asking, does prayer "work"? Does God really answer back? Time & time again, we see God answer the prayers of the Israelites. In fact, there were some times when God was already answering prayer even just after they had spoken it. Prayer does "work". By work I mean that God answers them, meaning that God hears our prayers and responds. 1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of Him." The apostle Paul himself writes about a time when he asked God to get rid of an affliction, and God said no. There will be times when God will say no. Sometimes He will answer it the way you want, but other times, He may not. He may give you a 'yes'. But He may also give you a 'no' or a 'maybe'. But He will always answer it the way He wants, which will always be for His good and His glory.

Now that has to do with God answering prayer, but does He ever just talk to you? Well, I think He does. But you need to be quiet before Him, you need to listen for His voice. Without getting mystical, I want to tell you about a time, I believe God spoke to me during my prayer times. Back in college I would journal out prayers. I would write out my prayers to God. What I discovered is that He would actually talk back. Not with a physical or loud voice. But it would be a quiet whisper in my heart, a response in the back of my mind. I began writing down what I feel God was saying, and it was actually a response to what I was talking to Him about. He would encourage me, and get me to think. The whisper never contradicted the Bible, nor did He contradict what I knew about Him. The God of the Universe was speaking into my heart, to me. God does respond to our prayers.

He converses with us in our minds and in our hearts. He loves us and talks to us personally. He will answer our prayers. So don't give up prayer. Don't stop praying. We are told to "pray continually." Be confident that God hears us and will respond.

So Long & Thanks For All The Fish

Tonight is the last Wednesday night that the current 8th grade students will officially be attending. Why you may ask. Well, our 8th grade students are graduating junior high. As of Sunday, they will officially be 9th grade students, which means they will be high school students. Yes, our young students are growing into young men & women. It is such a blessing to see this year after year. It's fun to go back and look at old pictures from when they were in 6th grade and then see their 8th grade pictures. The transformations they go through are amazing. Some of them don't even look like their 6th grade pictures at all.

Like life, everything changes, everything grows up. All you can do is teach them what is right and wrong and let them make their own choices. Although they are still minors and still under their parents guidance, they are beginning to make choices which will effect their lives. They are beginning to be more independent of their parents. They are beginning to be young adults who make choices for themselves; choices like what they want to do when they grow up, who they want to be, what they want to try. Although they are moving up to high school, they still need guidance, prayer and encouragement. They still need to know that God loves them and wants the best for them. They still need their parents there helping them along.

But that is in the near future. Tonight, while we will look to the future, we will also relish & celebrate the present, and remember the past. Tonight, Crash will be more laid back. We will hang out and have fun. All parents are welcome to join us in the Loft at 7:40 PM to come celebrate with us as we say goodbye to all 12 of our 8th grade students, and remember all the fun times we had in the past year. I hope to see all of you there.