If It Ain't Broken, Break It!

I had the privilege of teaching a class on creativity last year. I said something that, at the time, I didn't know would be so huge in my life over the summer. So, this is what I told the then 1st year students:

"Remember that what worked for you during your 1st year will not work your 2nd year."

I said this to challenge them to grow to a new level, because while you could grow at a slow pace during your first year and most of the time be ok, during your second year you must accelerate because there are hungry first years right behind you. You simply won't last if you do not grow. Little did I know that this concept would be the battle of my summer for a young minister in his first year of vocational ministry.
This summer was rough for me, and I felt like I hit a wall in ministry. I certainly wasn't used to running into walls I couldn't burst through in short periods of time...nothing usually held me back for very long. But this summer and early fall was different as I felt like I was at a complete standstill in my growth in the Lord and ministry. I even crashed into Pastor Sergio's basement, spilling out how I felt.
While there were several reasons, there is one I'd like to share with you. I came to realize that I was doing what had always worked. Praying at the same depth, preaching with the same fervency, reading at the same pace. And while those things worked for last year, I realized that I subconsciously decided not to go after the greater things. Pastor Thomas tell us staff that we shouldn't wait for something to go bad before we change, but always have enough foresight to see what's ahead and creatively move to the next level before it stops working.
During my first year of YMC, I remember Pastor Chris talking with us and bringing a reality check. He said that we needed to grow at a faster pace because the incoming 1st years were hungry, radical, and on fire. We all felt the healthy pressure to grow not only for our own individual destiny's sake, but for those who were to follow. So together we prayed harder, learned intentionally, and stepped up our vigor to grow. By the end of our first year Pastor Chris commended us for growing where we needed to be, and we held the standard high for the radical 1st years to go after.
Someone once said "If it ain't broken, break it!", and I do agree. I'm thankful for all that God has put in me that has worked, but it wont work forever. I'm evaluating everything in my life with this prospective, because I want to continue to grow. I hate walls, but we will run into the from time to time. And as the late Randy Pausch said, the brick walls aren't there to keep people from getting through, it's to keep the people out who don't want it bad enough.
So excuse me while I go break through some walls -- it's reading time!

Heritage

Friends,
below is an old journal entry when I recollected my 7th and 8th grade years in Victory's youth ministry, REPO. I post this to honor everyone who impacted me, and thank them for sowing into me life! As you read, remember the little things you say and do for younger people make an extraordinary impact.
Though they were not in this journal entry, I must also thank Pastor Sergio, Luis Bonilla, Adam Quinonez, Brian Baber, and Ruben Gutierrez. You made such an impact!

“REPO City Revolution.”

Ah, REPO. I entered that place in the seventh grade, totally pumped and excited to finally be there. It was the place to be and everyone seemed so cool. The fun that we heaerd happened there was enough to get us to count down the days until we get got there. I had and still have quite a big class…names like Isaac Arroyo, Paul Barth, Rachael Rauch and Amanda Prentice come to mind right away. When we finally got there the course of my life changed forever. I remember my first game of basketball at REPO. Ziko Millen chose all of us seventh graders to be on his team. I felt so special to be on such an awesome(he was a good basketball player…I’d have to see his skills now to see if he still got game, haha) guy’s team and it boosted my confidence. Then game a guy named Eric Waser. He took me under his wing and dicipled me. I remember playing basketball with him and I tried a hook shot. He called me Kareem Abdul Jabar! DO you have any idea how much that impacted my life? He compared me to a pro basketball player! Talk about cloud nine…and I still remember that to this day. I remember details as well, like how it was dark outside and what end of the court we were on. Truly a defining moment. He bought me an official REPO journal(even though I lost it, heh) and asked often to save him a seat, or he’d say that he’d save on for me. I also remember his girlfriend at the time. She was also wonderful and I remember one particular time I wound up sitting my her. To this day every once in awhile when I see her I still sit by her. The kindness of the people of REPO never faded and throughout the years I made many friends, and for the most part they were all college aged. I found that the friends that I had grown up with I wasn’t close with anymore. There was an MC student named John Sekanic. I remember the first time I met him. We were playing pool. We got o be close and many Mondays he would come over and we would go get an Aldi’s pizza for two dollars and eat. John really invested into my life and was a key in me receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There’s so many more who made an impact on my life…names like Justin White, Andy, Rick Johngrass, Jason Dinoble, John Giese…the list of people can go on. The incredible kindness and reaching out to the younger guy’s and girls by all of these older, much cooler people impacted me more than any actual ministry from the pulpit, because if it hadn’t been for that, would I have continued to attend REPO? If I didn’t feel accepted by the people, would I have felt accepted by God? It blows me away to think of how the course of my life might have changed if people like Eric and John hadn’t reached out to me. Early on in REPO, the foundation years were taking place. I remember going to the right side of the room for worship where all the guys worshipped. I saw the passion in the singing, the energy of the crowd, and the breaking sticks of the drummer. What excitement…what an experience(even though my glasses got broken once after being hit by a jumping worshipper). We sang songs like “The People Who Know There God” and “Lord I lift Your Name On High”, as well as the classic “REPO You”. Pastor Chilly lead with Becky Thomas and a few others singing. Pastors wife Netta and Sarah Stankich played the keyboards, while various people played guitars and bass like Jake and Scottie. Sometimes the Spirit of God was so strong that we had to continue worship the whole night. I can remember many defining moments in my life at REPO, like when we went to Boot Camp at Wesely Woods. That was the REPO City Revolution. I remember worshipping up front at an altar call or something. I wish just sobbing and sobbing, the Holy Spirit just blasted me and I can’t explain how I felt or why I was crying. All I know is that I was being changed…I remember tucking my head in my shirt continuing to cry, and Eric praying for me. That Boot Camp was incredibly powerful and revolutionary in my life. It was at the end of my first summer and it set me up for even more wild times with God...