Saturday Six

1. I went to see Mat Kearney last night with some great friends. Had a blast.

2. Can’t wait to go to Chicago in a little over a week for Story. If you don’t know anything about this conference check it out.

3. I really want to go see Where The Wild Things Are.

4. I am constantly overwhelmed with what God is doing in my life. I can’t believe I get the opportunity to lead students at Oak Leaf Church from where they are to where God wants them to be…WOW.

5. GLOW is coming up for Oak Leaf Students. It’s going to be a huge glow-in-the-dark party on November4. We are bringing in a DJ and it will rock your face off!!!  It’s our last monthly event of the year before FUEL goes weekly again in January. BE THERE!

6. Third week of Storybook Sex is this weekend at Oak Leaf Church. I encourage you guys to try out one of the two Saturday Night services. Cool vibe that Sunday doesn’t have. Be there tonight. If you can’t, check it out online here.

Everlasting Strength

I’ve had a lot running through my head the last few weeks.

About God. About friends. About love. About me. About my future.

These thoughts have gotten me down a few times.

Sometimes I forget that Jesus didn’t come to die a brutal death for me to sit around and feel sorry for myself.

Nor did He die for me to give up on His promises to me.

I’m beginning to be reminded of the hope found only in God’s everlasting strength.

Isaiah 40:28-31.

A passage of scripture very common to most of us.

But this common passage of scripture has begun to renew my passion for Jesus and weep in the understanding of His redeeming love for me.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

How undeserving I am of a God who is continuously faithful through my laziness.

How undeserving I am of a God who gives me strength despite my sin being the source of weakness.

How undeserving I am of my creator and yet all I have to do is have hope?

God makes it easy for us.

We complicate things.

Just find hope in the Lord and He will renew my strength.

My hope is in you Jesus.

Because of your everlasting love, I can seek your face and find hope in the midst of my junk.

22 Things

I did this last year in this post. After I turned 21 I gave you all 21 things you might not know about me.

I’m doing it again. (even though I’ve been 22 for a month now)

Some of these are funny and some of them I am being real.

A few of these might repeat but you get the idea.

Enjoy.

1. I never drive the speed limit. I always drive too fast.

2. I would rather be cold than hot.

3. I pick my nose a lot. It’s a really bad habit.

4. When I read books, I usually get to the last 2 chapters and stop. It’s because I can predict what it’s going to say.

5. I think Relevant Magazine is the bomb.

6. I love shopping.

7. I care about the way that I look way too much.

8. I hate spending money on oil changes and hair-cuts. These two things should alwasy be free if you ask me.

9. I am the king of getting things done last minute. This has gotten me in trouble quite a few times…

10. I talk way too much.

11. I am very self-conscience.

12. I ran away from home once. Well, I drove, but I ran out of gas about 30 minutes down the road…

13. I was in a Christian rap group in high school called “3-N-1″ Not sure how some of you will take that.

14. I hit snooze an average of 4 times every morning.

15. I think I have A.D.D.

16. Wait, what was I talking about again?

17. I used to read books on how to be funnier.

18. If I wasn’t in ministry I would want to be a high school guidance counselor.

19. I want to go to Africa during spring break. Want to help? Email me at jake@oakleafchurch.com

20. I want to go sky-diving one day.

21. I love Frank Sinatra’s music. Musical Genius.

22. I am funny about the pens I write with. I buy a certain kind and only use those.

No Matter Where You Are…

An incredibly influential person in my life once told me these words and they have always stuck with me. I would not be who I am or what I am today if she had not taken time that day to invest in me and tell me these simple words that kept me from running away from what God had for me…

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE…

Simple right?

Perhaps for you it is so simple, but for me not so much.

I imagine all of you, at some point or another, have felt the desire to run far away from what you are in the middle of. Whether it’s a family situation, a job that is taking you nowhere or an unfulfilling relationship. In all of these situations you must evaluate why they are not satisfying…

I have been there.

I almost ran away from God’s calling on my life because it was HARD.

I had to actually DO SOMETHING.

That scared me.

We get freaked out about what God is doing in our lives because WE CAN’T SEE IT.

It’s OUT OF OUR CONTROL….

But thanks to the big guy in the sky who is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) we are in good hands and don’t have to worry about tomorrow! (Matthew 6:25)

He knows what He is up to (Jeremiah 29:11) and we have to TRUST HIM. Not RUN AWAY FROM HIM and what He is doing.

Thank God this person chose to say theses words to me at  time when I almost ran away from everything God had planned for me.

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.

Thoughts?

Tuesday Tunes

This week’s edition of Tuesday Tunes. (I know you think I’m a nerd.)

I really really love this album.

I can’t wait to see this guy on Friday at Center Stage Atlanta.

It’s an older album but if you don’t have it…go get it!

Mat Kearney matured greatly after his first release.

He was a VH1 Artist You Oughta Know and has blown up around the country.

Several tracks you need to be sure to check out are the single, Closer To Love, New York to California and All I Have.

You might still have time to pick up tickets to his show Friday in Atlanta by visiting this link.

Student Leader Retreat Recap

I had an incredible Time with most of our Oak Leaf Student Leaders this weekend at Berry College. It was an opportunity for us to all retreat and learn a little about leadership.

These students have really raised the bar high with all that they have done to pitch in, roll their sleeves up and do what others might not do. People are noticing and God is moving. I couldn’t ask for more from these students and I couldn’t be any happier to see God working in them.

This weekend we talked about what leaders should do.

Leaders should:

SIT.

Jonathan talked about John 15:5 and said that we can serve our butts off but if we aren’t spending our “super fantastic” time with Jesus then we aren’t anything.

SERVE:

Glenn Jordan came to speak to our group and taught us about why God calls us to serve others.

CELEBRATE:

I talked about Josiah (2 Chronicles) and how he noticed God was moving and responded to that my celebrating what God had done and was doing.

It was an incredible weekend and I couldn’t ask for a more sold-out group of student leaders. God is using them and I can’t wait to see what is next for the Oak Leaf Student Ministry.

Some other crazy stuff went down too…

• I tried to scare a group of students who were hanging out in the woods and I failed miserably by stepping into a giant mud puddle…Fail
• Some of us leaders learned that Aaron thinks Matt Moody’s “eyes are beautiful.”
• There is a rumor floating around that I used to have a rat-tail…it’s a lie.
• The Berry College campus has a lot of deer. Geeze.
• Julia busted it trying to do a Chinese Fire Drill….it was hilarious!

If you are a student leader and missed it be sure you are there next year!!!

Feeling vs Experience

I love October.

The weather is perfect. Starbucks has the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Football is on the tube.

Couldn’t ask for anything better.

During October I usually pick a favorite cd for the month and I drive with my windows down. I love that feeling.

You know.

The feeling of the wind on your skin, the tunes in your ears, and the smile on your face.

October is full of great feelings.

Most of the time.

Sometimes, though, things change and God spices it up a little bit and that feeling…that nothing could touch me right now feeling…leaves and you are left wondering where to go next.

We search for God.

Or, we search for the FEELING of God.

We look for God in a feeling like we look for offense from UGA.

AND WE GET NO SATISFACTION.

Sometimes we get lost searching for the FEELING of God rather than the EXPERIENCE of God.

Let the desire to FEEL God escape and pray to EXPERIENCE God. It’s when you allow God to become an everyday experience that you truly see Him for who He is…

The wind on your face, the tunes in your ear and the smile on your face.

He is there. EXPERIENCE HIM.

Saturday Six

1. Dealing with change is never easy…I’m learning this to the max right now.

2. New series starts this weekend at Oak Leaf Church. It’s called Storybook Sex and you should invite all of your friends to come. New service times: Saturday 5 & 6:30. Sunday 10 & 11:30.

3. I saw NeedToBreathe live on Thursday and it was an incredible show…I love concerts. Mat Kearney on October 16 might be my next one.

4. I started learning to make drinks at Starbucks. It’s fun. Come in to the Starbucks in Cartersville and let me make you a latte.

5. Is anyone tired of hearing about Kanye yet?

6. I really want to get Donald Miller’s new book. Anyone read it yet?

Storybook Sex

Some of you are already blocking this site from your list of approved sites due to the title but before you get your undies in a wad let me explain…

Storybook Sex is the new series at Oak Leaf Church starting this weekend!

It’s going to be an intense series perfect for every married couple, single parent or teenager. I encourage you guys to spread the word and invite people to be here this weekend at The House of Rock

And don’t forget the new service times!

Saturday at 5:00 and 6:30 pm and Sundays at 10:00 and 11:30 am.

Seriously you DO NOT want to miss this weekend at Oak Leaf Church! Get here and bring your friends with you!!!!!

Here are some series graphics that you can place on your facebook, twitter or other social networking sites.

See you all this weekend!

Tuesday Tunes

Check back here every Tuesday for the latest installment of Tuesday Tunes. I will be highlighting different artists/bands that I am listening to…old and new.

This week’s pick?

NeedToBreathe

If you follow me on twitter you have witnessed me tweeting about them a ton lately. I actually get the pleasure of seeing them live on Thursday thanks to this guy! I am pretty stoked about it.

Their new album The Outsiders is probably my favorite album of the year. It’s filled with passion and screams of hope to those that need it.

If you don’t already own their first two albums Daylight and The Heat then you should pick those up on Itunes.

Check back here next Tuesday to see what else I’m listening too…