Jasper Speaks:

I had the pleasure of filling in for our Pastor when he was sick a couple of weeks ago by preaching at a Senior Adult Prayer Breakfast AND on Sunday morning for "big church" in the same week. I used to have an aversion to preaching to the whole congregation. I struggled with it for years. But God has worked on my heart and now I truly enjoy breaking His Word to adults as well as teens. Here is a video of the Sunday morning message I was able to share with our congregation:

Jasper Speaks:

I have been overwhelmed with a question lately. Am I creating a group of spiritually growing disciples of Christ in our student ministry or am I creating a group of spiritually co-dependent teenagers who cannot function with me as a guide. I know that sounds self serving but things have happened lately that have caused me to wonder. I am burdened by students living a life a duality. I ache when I realize that more of the students I have been entrusted with are living one way with me and another way all other times. Even times when they are with other Christian students in our group.

I am sure I am not the only Youth Pastor who struggles in this area. There are some students who get it and run with their faith and grow. I am blessed by those kids. There are some who never even pretend to embrace the faith. I can respect that. Then there are students who seem to not be able to make it on their own. Some of them talk a good talk but they are fully dependent on others to hold their hands in their faith. They can play the game when they are at church but the reality of their lack of depth plays out everywhere else. These students are the ones who are jealous of your time with your family. They are the students who do not speak redemptively when they are not with the Youth Pastor. They are the students who are jealous of past youth groups when you speak of them. They are the ones who lie, curse and compromise and everyone but the Youth Pastor is privy to this knowledge about their duality.

Don't get me wrong. I understand my place in the life of students. I am supposed to be there to cheer them on and point them to Christ. My fear is what if I am pointing them more to me than to Him? There is nothing I consciously do that brings this on and it is a small number of the students I have encountered in ministry. Still, I struggle with how to keep this from happening. I want to see students live lives of genuine commitment based on their passion and love for Jesus. I want to be raising a generation that own their faith. I want them to be able to survive on their own. I don't want them to be dependent on anyone else for their faith.

Tonight I had dinner with a former student that I haven't seen in five years. She holds a special place in my heart. At that dinner was a student who I still have frequent contact with but who I haven't had "official" spiritual authority over in those five years either. I know they love the Lord and are living for Him independent of me. That is my goal. I pray that the students in my current ministry will see through me to the Father and will begin to live a faith that is their own. Many already do, I pray for those who don't.

I can sit here and readily think of so many students in our group that get it. I think of the student who first set these thoughts in motion in my mind when he came to me burdened for his friends in our group. I think of the confident young lady who hasn't been around as much as I would like but even without our programs and meetings, has maintained a strong walk with the Lord despite a hectic schedule. I think about the girl who is always eager to thank God in a genuine way for what He is doing in her life. She is always quick to give Him credit. I think of the young lady who has a soft spirit but is committed firmly to her faith and asks for my advice when telling her friends about Christ. She comes to me in the midst of sharing her faith not before for encouragement to do so. These students remind me that many are taking their faith out on their own. Still, those who aren't can be discouraging for me.

I am searching for the best way to keep this from happening. I am struggling with how to point these few students who live in this co-dependent spiritual world toward a more intimate walk with the Lord. I want them to take their faith in their hearts and make it their own. Any suggestions?

Jasper Speaks:

Not dead. Just summer. Dealing with this kind of person this week:

Jasper Speaks:

I have never been good at conflict. I hate it actually. I find it hard to approach. I think it is because I am a people pleaser. I want people to like me and conflict means someone is not happy with me. It is an area in ministry that I have been trying to work on for years. Kendra has helped and I think I understand that conflict is best resolved sooner rather than later.

With that in mind, I have a meeting today with a set of parents. One of their children graduated last year, one is in the youth group and two more are on their way. The oldest kid and I have had some issues this first year he has been out of the group. It has hurt me on some levels and saddened me on most.

I have not had opportunity to discuss this with the parents and it has been an issue since the beginning of the school year. I am praying for grace and wisdom in this situation. I am praying that my words would be kind and loving and restorative. I just hate conflict.

On the other hand, today is my 10th wedding anniversary. That kind of blows my mind. I don't feel old enough to have been married ten years. Still, I look at all we have weathered and how much we have grown and I am amazed at God's wisdom. There is no doubt that Kendra is the woman God created for me. I grabbed her up at the age of 21 and took her away to Maine at 22. When I think about how young that is now, it blows my mind. She was beautiful on the day I married her and has only gotten more beautiful every day. My mom used to say that Kendra got prettier every time she saw her. I agree.

I trust her with my life and love. She is an amazing mommy. She has made great sacrifices for the well being of our family. She has taught me so much about life and relationships. I am a better man because of her encouragement (and yes) sometimes even her prodding. I never understood the two becoming one concept until I married this incredible woman. Now I know that we are one person. God made us to live this life together. I am exceedingly blessed that such a beautiful, kind, stable woman was made for me.

Ten years have flown by. I love being married. I love spending my life with someone. I love coming home to her every day. Sure marriage is hard but God has resided in the center of ours and I don't look back at these ten years as all that difficult. I love her and cherish her. I could never really deserve her. But that is the great thing about God's grace, all too often we get what we don't deserve. In this case I get to keep it for the rest of my life. I am so undeserving of her love. And His.

Jasper Speaks:

I had such a relaxing weekend. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which is always great. I also just got to relax some. A much needed resting period before our crazy summer schedule starts. I went to The Magic House (a children's museum here in St. Louis) on Friday with Kendra and Jackson. On Saturday we slept in, took a walk and then went to a graduation party (my "work" for the weekend) and went shopping. When we got back we went to Jackson's best friend's house and had kettle corn and watched the kids play. On Sunday we worshiped together, took a short nap, played hard at the church picnic, and then I went with a few friends and saw the new Star Trek movie (which was AMAZING by the way).

I wonder why we aren't more intentional about a Sabbath? Why are we always running to and fro? Is it the expectations the church has for us in ministry? Is it our own expectations? Is it a lack of believing that God does not need us to accomplish his purpose? I am not sure what it is but I know that I need to be more willing to take some time to breathe. The nature of the beast in student ministry is that we go and go. Still, I am here at the office on a Monday morning, refreshed and ready for the week because I stopped this weekend and just rested and enjoyed life. I have to remember how important that is to do. I have been burned out in ministry before, I know I don't want that again.

Below is the outline I used this week at Reality Check. It is a conglomeration of Doug Fields, Kurt Johnston and me. If you would like to see my whole transcript so you can see how I tried to tackle this, em comment here or email me. Again, some kids were miffed and I think that is great. The truth should ruffle feathers.

THREE LITTLE LETTERS --- ONE BIG PLAN!

Week 1 – Tough Questions --- God’s Answers

During this series, we’d love for you to . . .

1. Realize the power of GOD’S LOVE

Long before he laid down earth's foundations, God had us in mind and settled on us as the focus of his love (Ephesians 1:4).

2. Make a commitment to CARE AND TO THINK

. . . our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:13).

God’s Word on Homosexuality

That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved (Romans 1:26-27).

Homosexuality is SIN.

All sin SEPARATES us from God.

But there is a problem—your sins have cut you off from God . . . (Isaiah 59:2).

What Happened?

Our world has made RIGHT what God says is WRONG.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:21-25)

You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in— first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses. So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses. Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God. But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it. (Romans 5: 12-14)

What Do I Do?

Aim to be a person of CONVICTION, COURAGE and COMPASSION.

• Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17

• But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 1 Peter 3:14-16

• Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Ephesians 4:14-15

We also included this parent's box to keep the discussion going at home (Very much inspired from the SYM Best Sex Ever curriculum):

Parent Box: Take it Home:
Parents: I realize it’s very tough to sit down with your son/daughter and talk about sex. Feel free to yes these questions, skip to #, or read through their worship guide and come up with your own questions to facilitate an open discussion with your child.. Don’t be too discouraged if your child doesn’t want to talk—they may not, but don’t interpret their lack of interest as not having questions—there’s great confusion out there. I hope this helps…from week 1:

1. What does the Bible say about sex outside of marriage?
2. How should God’s love affect your sexual choices?
3. Read Romans 1 together. How has the world exchanged the Truth for a lie when it comes to sex?
4. How does Romans 7 speak to the Truth that even if a person could be born homosexual, acting on that lifestyle should still be avoided?
5. What responsibilities do Christians have to live a life of conviction, courage and compassion? How can you do these things in practical ways?
6. Why is it important to speak the truth to people in love?
7. What is one thing you learned from Jasper’s talk?

Jasper Speaks:

So last night I did my best to share God's Truth about Homosexuality with the group. It was a very difficult message for me. In the end I offended (or should I say GOD offended) a few students and I had several thank me for helping them with things to engage people in conversation about the topic. Kendra said as I started it was like I didn't even want to say the word then once I put it out there, I gained strength and started really being unapologetic.

I labored, prayed and eve shed a few tears over this one. It breaks my heart that kids have exchanged the Truth of God for a lie. I tried to tell them that the world looks into a mirror and says the reflection is reality. However, in a mirror image what is right is left and what is left is right. It is a distorted view of reality. I think that is very true. It burdens me that our kids have to survive in that climate.

In the end I did my best to sprinkle compassion with Truth. I have a lot of gay friends who God has brought into and out of my life. I love them all. I want them to see the Truth. I know I have kids struggling with this issue as well. I want them to see compassion from me and love and grace from God. I hope last night started to build a bridge to conversation about all of this.

Jasper Speaks:

It is good to know God knows all things because I get confused pretty easy. I need to confront a controversial subject in our group soon. Thought I had a couple of weeks and then looked at teh church calendar and realized it has to be done tomorrow night. I have been preparing but don't feel over confident at this time. Please pray that it will all come out to God's glory! This is VERY important. Sin complicates everything!

Do you ever find yourself saying, "Ministry would be easy if it wasn't for the people?"

Jasper Speaks:

This weekend our group attended FM419. This is the student version of The Billy Graham Christian Life and Witness Course. The Afters led worship. Three guys led us in the Bible study time. It taught us about sharing our faith and I think it was a great substitute for Dare 2 Share and they weren't nearly as annoying about us coming.

I wish we would have taken a larger group. We had 13 students. A small turnout since we run between 45-60 on Wednesday nights. But I do believe, as always, God had whom He wanted there. That included me.

I have been a Youth Pastor for nineteen years now. You get a little jaded about events like this. I am finding out more and more that I feel even a little awkward being the "old guy" in the place. Still, I love students and they at least pretend to love me. I have no ideas of wondering off into another area of service anytime soon. It is just as I get older I feel a little more disconnected from things. But it amazes me that God still speaks to me at times like this. And this weekend he did.

Most of the time I was going through the motions. I had been through the adult version of this course in 1999 when Billy Graham came to St. Louis. So, the information wasn't new to me. I enjoyed the worship. Most of the time that is the part of events like this that I like the best anymore.

But God spoke to me at the final worship set in a real way tonight. I have been so worried and burdened by the junk going on in our group lately. It has hurt my heart and it has worried me. I use the word worry because concern would be a copout. I really feel like I have crossed the line into ungodly territory in worry. I haven't let go of these situations. I have let them burden me way beyond how I should.

So, today, we were singing GOD OF THIS CITY (which has already been chosen as the theme for our mission trip) and as I belted out the line, "greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city", I felt the spirit wash over me in a way I haven't in quite awhile. I turned and saw one of our sophomore guys really worshiping. He was singing out and had his hands raised and eyes closed singing to the Lord. Maybe that doesn't sound so impressive but this is a kid who was a 7th grader when I got here. He has nipped at the heels of the "cool kids" in the group since he got here. He has always been a kid who I wasn't real sure where he stood with God. Was he someone who got it or was he living this life for his parents.

Over the past six weeks or so I have seen such a different side of this kid. He is very much as close to the center of the issues in our group as anyone could be without being directly involved. He has reached out for my guidance twice in this time. During our conversations I have seen a whole new side to him. It as if a light came on and he woke up one morning and said, "This is my faith and I really do believe these things. I need to live them out". He has taken some major stands when he has felt convicted. He has confronted sin and shown grace beyond his age. He has impressed me.

He has never been one to sing. Never. Generally he stands with his arms crossed and is motionless during worship in song. He always strikes the "guy pose". I am sure many of you know exactly what I mean. But today was different. He was positively glowing with the love of God and singing his heart out. We talked a lot about adversity creating Christian character this weekend. I am sure that is what has happened to him.

As I watched him, my throat tightened and my eyes got moist. I sang those lines from the song even louder as I felt the Spirit say, "the things going on right now are not as bad as you think. I am still in control. I still love you. The attacks of the enemy will come but this round is because he is scared beyond belief at the greater things that are still to be done. Just like that boy over there has had to take awhile to discover my plan, other students will come in time. Greater things are still to be done in my ministry that I have entrusted to you".

Suddenly, things felt right. A weight was lifted. I felt the love of my savior holding me and saying, "It's alright, son. I have everything under control". I worshiped from there with reckless abandon. How great is our God.

I know we are far from out of the woods in the areas where there are issues in our group right now. Still, today, God gave me a reminder that He has it all under control. My job is to be faithful to His leading and His Word. He will take care of the rest. I think that is a pretty awesome message to hear.

Jasper Speaks:

Something light for your Friday:

IDIOT SIGHTING:

My daughter and I went through the McDonald's
take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so
I also handed her a quarter..
She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said,
'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back.'
She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my
request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're
sorry but they could not do that kind of thing.'
The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change.
Do not confuse the clerks at MickeyD's.


IDIOT SIGHTING:

We had to have the garage door repaired. The Sears repairman told us
that one of our problems was that we did not have a
'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said
that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2
horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4
horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4 and he said,
'NO, it's not. Four is larger than two..'

We haven't used Sears repair since..





IDIOT SIGHTING :

I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new
neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the

removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many
deer are being hit by cars out here!
I don't think this is a good place for them to cross"
From Kingman , KS




IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE:

My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered
a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal
lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce.

From Kansas City


IDIOT SIGHTING:

I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an
airport employee asked,
'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?'

To which I replied, 'If it was without my
knowledge, how would I know?'
He smiled knowingly and nodded,

'That's why we ask.'
Happened in Birmingham , Ala.




IDIOT SIGHTING :


The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to
cross the street.
I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She
asked if I knew what the buzzer was for.
I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red.
Appalled, she responded,

'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer in Wichita , KS




IDIOT SIGHTING:

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile
dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked
in it.
We went to the service department and found a mechanic working
feverishly to unlock the drivers side door. As I watched from the
passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered
that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'its open!'
His reply, 'I know. I already got that side.'

This was at the Ford dealership in Canton , Mississippi


STAY ALERT!

They walk among us... and the scary part is
that they VOTE and they REPRODUCE