McGevesville

FW: Please pray for our time at Oakbridge

2008-07-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

Friends,

We are enjoying our time at Oakbridge! Here are a couple pictures that can tell you what we’ve been up to…

Getting the opportunity to share about my life and the life of Jesus.

Working the ropes course. The first two weeks were 10 hours in one day each time.

I helped them come up with an engineering solution that got it down to 6 hours this week!

Kids putting their “letter to God” on the cross.

Lilly and Molly with other staff kids.

Caleb!

Lilly!

Here comes Molly!

They have a superhero theme here. One of the staff made a poster of Caleb, whose alter-ego is “The Fantastic Lightning”

Thank you for your prayers. Kids are meeting Christ. Two more weeks left…

Erin... even nerdier

2008-05-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

Get your own free sketch

Erin is FAMOUS!!!

2008-05-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Modern Art Museum by dumpr.net

Kids listening about Christ at YL Nerd Club

2008-04-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

3000+ at Young Life

2008-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Jesus Africa and McDonalds

2008-03-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Apparently McDonalds posts the names of their managers on their
registers. What a combination!

Starbucks has a similar vision

2008-03-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Starbucks has a similar plan as most ministries: care, passion, place,
community, people and even coffee (now available at most churches).

Multimedia message

2008-03-16T16:47:00.001-07:00

This is lame but...

2008-03-12T12:17:00.001-07:00

This is addicting. I did it twice and then forced myself to quit!

51 words

Speedtest

YL meetings at Glen Eryie Castle

2008-03-09T17:25:00.001-07:00

Me at Malibu

2008-03-05T13:03:00.001-08:00

There is a picture of me at the Young Life service center when I was playing drums at Malibu in 1997... Now I'm famous!

Human pinata at club

2008-03-03T19:06:00.001-08:00

Mommy the transformer

2008-02-29T18:26:00.001-08:00

Video from the Program team at camp...

2008-02-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

I'm in the last frame :)

Interesting Chart

2008-02-20T08:25:00.001-08:00

Interesting chart. There is much debate about it HERE is one example. But it does help to give a general impression for those who haven't read/listened/studied these people.

Wow, not sure what to say about these...

2008-02-19T20:05:00.001-08:00

Black Diamond? No problem... :)

2008-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

Ski trip in Tahoe

2008-02-16T15:46:00.001-08:00

With Nick... A great first day besides all the bruises...

Prep in Tahoe

2008-02-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

Speaking at a YL ski camp this weekend in Tahoe. Prep in a coffee shop just feet from the lake. Props to Nick, a soph from Pinnacle who is with me.

Lilly and Daddy at Disney Princess Wishes on Ice

2008-01-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

No cavities!

2008-01-22T13:20:00.001-08:00

1st dentist appointment

2008-01-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

Caleb wearing shade because the light is so bright. His future is also so bright he has to wear shades.

Fun games at McDonalds

2008-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Chad and Tim attempt the Luigis challenge

2008-01-05T18:24:00.001-08:00

30 inch pizza - two people - one hour - no potty breaks... YL leader retreat Mission Beach

Motel 6 Bedspread - Wow very colorful

2008-01-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

Big Bear - Another hard day at work

2008-01-03T16:19:00.001-08:00

Besides all the heart wrenching people stuff.

After great-grandma's birthday party

2007-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

McGever New Years Picture - We Love Math!

2007-12-24T13:34:00.001-08:00

Snowboard w Joe from Pinnacle

2007-12-21T15:09:00.000-08:00

Snowbowl!

2007-12-21T14:34:00.001-08:00

Desi and Carson helping with childcare at YoungLives

2007-12-20T19:13:00.001-08:00

Smushy faces at dinner

2007-12-16T17:09:00.001-08:00

2007-12-16T11:47:00.001-08:00

2007-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

2007-12-16T11:37:00.001-08:00

Lunch @ costco

Braces off today!

2007-12-10T10:31:00.001-08:00

Mommy, what's a winter coat?

2007-12-08T13:46:00.001-08:00

We won't need these in Phoenix!

You don't have far to go...

2007-12-05T19:52:00.001-08:00

'Daddy I want to be as strong as you.'

2007-12-03T12:27:00.001-08:00

smelling flowers & chasing bugs- christmas time in phx!

New creation today...

2007-12-02T11:34:00.001-08:00

On the left, met Christ this morning at weekend camp.

3 kids and Kermit

2007-11-30T12:30:00.001-08:00

Sean Coaching JV Basketball

2007-11-27T17:48:00.001-08:00

Here's Sean coaching his first game of the
season at Pinnacle. Go Pioneers! :)

Maggie a balla after her dads own heart

2007-11-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

Forest Caleb

2007-11-25T06:33:00.001-08:00

Maggie Milligan in Asheville NC

2007-11-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Our niece Maggie on our Thanksgiving in North Carolina.

My Molly girl

2007-11-21T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hey high school guys of the class of 2025... you can't look at this. - Her dad.

Vacation bathtime

2007-11-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

I love planes!

2007-11-20T07:52:00.001-08:00

Lilly on the plane

2007-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

On her way to see her cousin Maggie in North Carolina (with the fam)

Princess haircut

2007-11-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

Talk 2 and 3

2007-11-10T23:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a full day. In the morning I shared about my parents divorce and the ongoing pain it caused as an example of how sin can ruin life. I could see many heads nodding with me as I described this and several follow up conversations were similar.

To illustrate sin I cut off a small tree from its base. This was to illustrate that we are cut off from a relationship with God, that death is our punishment and we are stuck - unable to fix it ourselves.

I left them hanging...

Then talk 3 tonight. I shared about the cross of Christ and how he took every consequence that our sin deserves. I showed a clip from the passion of Christ and gave them 15 minutes of silence under the stars to think about Christ's work and how they want to respond. It is quite a sight to see 400 students staring at the stars, for many their first "quiet time" ever.

I haven't heard much feedback tonight about how kids responded, but I was happy about what I was able to say.

Tomorrow I will be speaking about the resurrection of Jesus and what a relationship with Christ looks lilke. Gotta go to bed now...

2007-11-10T08:07:00.001-08:00

Molly likes camp

Talk 1...

2007-11-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

Wow. I didn't know Erin was going to post the pic and the prayer request, but I'm glad she did! I know lots of people have been praying for me.

The first talk went well. Some buses broke down and some things ran late so I began speaking at 11:56PM. But energy wasn't a problem for me and especially the audience. They were rowdy! In a good way.

I spoke about Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus has Simon put his nets out again even through he had just spent all night without catching one fish. I asked them to be "curious" about Jesus and to really be open to what He might do in their lives.

Tomorrow morning is an important talk. It is about sin and its consequences. The talk basically ends with "sin ruins life on earth and forever... you are going to hell... so have a great afternoon to think about it!" OK not in those exact words but we leave them in sin, without the answer of the cross. So pray for the conviction of the Holy Spirit (which is His job, not mine thankfully).

OK I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is a full day.

Pray for Sean speaking at camp this weekend!

2007-11-09T19:53:00.001-08:00

Sean is speaking at a Young Life outreach camp this weekend, sharing the Gospel with about 400 high school kids, for many of whom this is the first time they will hear the Gospel in a meaningful way and have a chance to really process it. Please pray for him as he speaks and for the hearts of the kids who are here. Thanks! We'll be excited to share what God has done at the end of the weekend!

Caleb and Molly

2007-11-05T21:04:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite pictures from right after Molly was born. I think she's 10 days old here. I put Molly on the floor to "play" with Caleb and he was enthralled! She's holding his finger. Caleb is still one of Molly's favorite people! He lets her pull his hair and climb all over him-what a good big brother!

2007-11-05T14:16:00.001-08:00

It's hard to tell in this picture, but Lilly put purple lip gloss all over her cheeks during rest time today. When I say "all over," I mean eyes to chin, nose to ear! She used an old blush brush of mine to apply it and feels very beautiful! :)

Fun at the State Fair

2007-11-05T14:02:00.001-08:00

Lilly found a pink pirate ship to ride.

Fun at the State Fair

2007-11-05T14:00:00.001-08:00

Caleb rode a red pirate ship with our friends. It was great fun!

My classroom

2007-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Is in the Billy Graham Center

Where I'm at this week

2007-10-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

Taking a class on evangelism.

2007-10-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Pianist in the making!

2007-10-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

Molly is determined to get that toy!

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...

2007-10-03T13:34:00.001-07:00

Caleb up close and personal

2007-10-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Oooh! A pirate puzzle!

2007-10-03T13:26:00.001-07:00

Caleb preparing for Malibu Beyond

2007-09-29T16:12:00.001-07:00

Rainbow

2007-09-20T18:04:00.001-07:00

Sleeping Beauty

2007-09-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Lilly loves playing princesses and often wants
me to play with her. Today, she is being Sleeping
Beauty, but it works out really well when I
get to be Sleeping Beauty...laying down on the
couch with a blanket and crown on my head and,
to make it even more realistic, I like to close my
eyes. :)

2007-09-17T17:04:00.001-07:00

Hoop star

What's on my head?

2007-09-13T09:47:00.001-07:00

Sneaky big brother!

Nerd bowling

2007-08-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Twinkle Twinkle - Lilly

2007-08-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ice Cream

2007-08-10T11:29:00.001-07:00

Ice cream at the beach... How can you beat that?!

Molly's first pizza

2007-08-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

Molly enjoying her pizza-shaped teething toy

Lilly's Best Funny Face

2007-08-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

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Playing Pirates

2007-08-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

2007-08-02T15:31:00.001-07:00

Caleb playing pirates

2007-08-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Lilly

2007-08-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Molly waiting to eat some oatmeal

Einsteins

2007-08-01T17:15:00.001-07:00

Lots of meetings at Einsteins. This one with my good friend Mark

American Church History Questions

2007-08-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

In my reading for American Church History, we had to respond with class discussion questions. There were mine for the summary of current trends in American Christianity... what are your answers?:

Discussion Questions:

When America has a Catholic majority (projected in the early twenty-first century), with a strong Hispanic influence, what differences might you expect in our schools, communities, local Protestant churches, government? We are certain to be on the cutting-edge of this in Arizona do we see any of this yet?
Do you think it is right to have "separate" ministries for Spanish speakers or ESL Americans? Should we hold on to the dream of integrated services? What if these are not successful?
Do you look forward to strong growing influence in the Christian community from the Third World (where 60% of Christians in the world are found)? Generally speaking, what do you think will be their view of American Christianity?

Two of my favorite guys

2007-07-29T22:02:00.001-07:00

Two of my favorite YL Pinnacle Guys... JayZ and Garison!

Caleb at the game 2

2007-07-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Caleb at the game

2007-07-27T21:22:00.001-07:00

Caleb the Transformer

2007-07-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Caleb saw a poster for Transformers and was
definitely interested. :) Here is his creative
"transformer" outfit. He puts the mask on his
head and lays on the floor to be a race car, then
moves the mask to his face and gradually
stands up to be the Transformer. Pretty good
for a kid who's never actually seen Transformers
in action!

Posters

2007-07-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

These posters caught my attention. Humor has been defined as truth plus pain...

You can find more at: http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/posters.htm

Adventures with Captain Joe and Pirate Princess Binky

2007-07-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Lilly play dress up just about every day. Caleb named himself "Captain Joe" and Lilly is "Pirate Princess Binky" (named after her dear pacifier which is technically only allowed in bed but has somehow made its way as part of her usual costume). Here they are searching for buried treasure! Notice Caleb's dramatic theme music during the hunt and Lilly's delight over finding a necklace amidst the treasure. :)

My weekly experience

2007-07-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

I have this view often. Pretty much once or twice a week for the last 5 years. Less tha a year left...

Civil War Ministry

2007-07-23T18:56:00.000-07:00

A note from my reading on Civil War Ministry...

I was happy to read that Christians and Christian organizations during the Civil War emphasized spiritual issues over ideological ones. Preaching focused on the spiritual needs of individuals and less on winning the war. It is encouraging to hear such a level-headed tactic in such a horrendous time. I would encourage American Christians to take a lesson from our past and put our focus on spiritual growth over ideological issues that seem to be the priority of so many well-known church leaders today (or at least those who end up on TV).

Christians viewed like Rent-A-Cops?

2007-07-22T22:31:00.001-07:00

WARNING: This by no means is intended to belittle those who take their job as a rent-a-cop seriously and are doing the best that they can. It is just an analogy that plays on what I have found a common perception.

At a nearby mall around nearly every corner is a man who takes his job very seriously. His name is Mr. RAC (Rent-a-cop, or security guards for hire or something like that).

(This is a picture of a rent-a-cop threatening my friend)

I realized that there are several similarities between Rent-a-cops and the stereotypical view of Christians in our society (which is sadly true of many)

Rent-a-cops...

Have uniforms... so do many Christians (i.e. their "pray hard" t-shirts and faith based "live strong bracelets")
Are easy to make fun of... My friend took a cell phone picture of one and the rent-a-cop angrily responded, "I don't think it is funny to be invading people's privacy at the mall!" Just turn on the TV and you will see that Christians are very easy to make fun of (Ned Flanders?)
Are experts in rules... they know the code of the mall. They keep a keen eye open for any infraction. They are particularly hard on younger people. Christians are rule keepers par excellence! Instead of loving (1 Jn 3:23) , Christians tend to like keeping track of failure, especially in young people.
Aren't really that helpful... I'm not sure the last time I've seen a rent-a-cop hold the door open for a lady, carry out bags to someone's car, cleaned up a spill in the food court, etc. What if a mall was known for the amazing security people who were always helping everyone? I think sales would go up. Similarly, Christians do run to the scene in crisis (Hurricane Katrina for instance), but for everyday life few think, "I wish there were more Christians, they are so helpful!"
Typically pretend to be experts in things they are not... In my experience Rent-a-cops are cop or FBI wannabes. I know that is harsh, but that is what I perceive. But you would never know it. I cannot count how many times I have seen a rent-a-cop lecturing a teenager in everything from the state law, to the First Amendment, to "what kids are like these days". Many Christians pose as experts in science, world religions and philosophy when they should really be a little wiser (James 1:19).

Thats it for now. There are certainly more. Rent-a-cops and Christians were stereotyped in this rant. I don't like stereotyping but I know there is something I need to learn from this.

Faces of Molly

2007-07-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

These are some funny faces Molly makes. She sort of looks like she's praying one of them. One of my favorites is her "worried old man look" :) Sweet baby girl...

Family Picture

2007-07-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

This is our family picture from Mother's Day. Lilly did not like our photographer very well and this was just going to be her "look" this year. :) Maybe we'll get a smile next time!

Reading Princess

2007-07-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

Here is Lilly dressed in her princess outfit reading her new book..."Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses." She just got it yesterday but pretty much has the whole thing memorized. She has on one Sleeping Beauty shoe and one Jasmine shoe. The other Sleeping Beauty shoe broke a few weeks ago, but that is her favorite princess (along with Snow White) so we kept the one good shoe and she pairs it with whatever else is handy. :)

Ahoy, me harties!

2007-07-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

"I am really into pirates right now," says Caleb, age 4 years.

Prayer Garden

2007-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Prayer Garden is a good place.

Good questions and a problem with Pascal

2007-07-16T18:46:00.001-07:00

In church Sunday, our pastor suggested asking a couple key questions when you want to dig deeper - especially when talking to people about religious issues.

#1 Ask: "What do you mean by that?" As-in... "I think reincarnation is true". Then respond, "What do you mean by that?"

#2 Ask: "How do you know that is true?" As-in... "I think that the Secret's message of the Law of Attraction is how everything really works." Then respond, "How do you know that is true?"

#3 Ask: "What difference does that make in your life?" As-in... "I think all religions all lead to the same end". Then respond, "What difference does that make in your life?"

#4 Ask: "What if you are wrong, what do you stand to lose?" (similar to Pascal's Wager)

I really like #1 and #2. They help us understand what people really mean without "correcting" or "preaching" at people.

I don't really like #3 or #4.

#3 Can be great, but runs the risk of placing experience over everything else. Then anything the makes a difference in your life (i.e. having a car, having a cell phone, going to Sedona) can be a legitimate basis for religious convictions.

#4 I really don't like at all because to agree with it, no faith is required (Rom 3:28, Eph 2:8-9, Mk 1:15, Acts 20:21). The Wikipedia article lists even more objections to Pascal's Wager. When I accepted Christ a person in my group suggested I should accept Christ because it is a "win-win", my leader (Dick Mason) said this is not faith at all. When he said that, it felt like the missing piece to the puzzle (faith) that I needed in my life. I needed faith, not a wager.

Crazy Little Bunny

2007-07-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here's Molly after a nice cool bath...remember, we are in Phoenix where it is still 103 degrees outside at 9:15 pm! She's loving the bunny towel!

Pizza

2007-07-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

McGevers really like pizza. Caleb's first word was 'pizza'. That's my boy! Molly has really taken to pizza crust as her first food obsession. That's my girl!

Erin and Molly at one of our favorite pizza spots, Oreganos. NYPD, Spinollis, BJ's Pizza in SoCal are some of our favorites. We even appreciate local cheapies like Hungry Howies, Peter Piper Pizza (the cardboard crust is classic!), and Barros. In Spokane we fell in love with take-and-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. It is incredible. Don't dis take-and-bake until you try it. They know us by name there.

What are you favorite pizza places?

2007-07-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief I response I wrote about George Whitefield, a minister in the 18th century...

During this reading, George Whitefield impressed me so much. His influence and sheer quantity of work is almost unbelievable, not to mention the impact it made in the 18^th century. Whitefield directed the message of salvation to common people neglected by the established churches. This description seems to picture him as a missionary to the unchurched in churched-America.

In the Fall of 1740, Whitefield addressed crowds of up to 8,000 people nearly every day for over a month. Even in today’s mega-rallies and uber-media opportunities, this would be unheard of. This might be able to be sustained for a couple days, maybe a week, but for over a month!

Whitefield was not a good organizer, as one might expect for a person that was the center of what we now call conferences. He is known as a person who how to address plain people in plain language. He did this by appealing to the heart. One way that he appealed to the heart was by not using notes. Many ministers of his century simply read their sermons. Not only did he refrain from reading, he refrained from referring to notes! Imagine the stark difference from listening to a long paper being read to a powerful plain-language revivalist looking into your eyes as he challenged you to submit to Christ. This delivery style is much more than a style. Whitefield must have had a passion and preparation that was vastly different from the traditional written style sermon writers.

The most overwhelming aspect of Whitefield’s ministry is the sheer quantity that he delivered. It is estimated that he preached 15,000 times during his 33 year career. This averages out to over 454 times per year, every year for 33 years! Certainly, this must have included instances where he preached the same message twice in a row, but the sheer number of sermons is still hard to imagine. In addition, like many ministers in the 18^th and 19^th century, he had a considerable amount of journals he left behind.

George Whitefield was known for his sermons. They were directed at the heart. They were in simple language. They were aimed at those who were neglected by the established church. They were extemporaneous, not from notes or a written sermon. Moreover, he did this often – very often. Could you preach 8 sermons this week? How about 40 this month? What about 400 this year? There must be something we can learn about communicating truth from George Whitefield. What kind of relationship with God would you need to have to be able to give a sermon today?