Tag: GSM

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Counselors like to have fun too at camp Video

We have some awesome counselors that go to camp with us in June and July. Here's some of the July counselors having a little fun. COUNSELOR BUCK BUCK...A CAMP TRADITION I should have shot this one horizontal...but i didn't. haha

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Camp Adventure Videos from my iPhone4

These are raw, un-edited little shots I took from camp.  If I had American Wi-fi at camp I would have posted these then...but I didn't.  I had some form of 3rd world desert wi-fi that was pretty much non-existent and since I refused to wait longer than 1o minutes to upload videos...I didn't. Buuuut you can enjoy them now! Milk song March to breakfast by one of the clusters Fun during meals More fun during meals Posting these makes me hate I didn't have my iPhone 4 during June week of camp. Enjoy, leave comments it'll be all good!

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Camp keeps getting better!

This year at camp, God blew my mind and made me more thankful to be involved in His work. Never in my life have I been more excited about what God is up to!  The way he shows himself to us and changes our hearts and inclines them more towards His is like watching a miracle happen before our eyes!!!!!

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GSM Renewal Flashback

So the school year weekend program for GSM is over but "GSM Summer" is almost in full effect.  With about 3 weeks before our first summer event, we're ready to rock and roll with our summer plans. As I was moving around some photos on an external hard drive I came across these photos from our Middle School Renewal Retreat this past fall (2009)...it was crazy fun and definitely a weekend to remember.  For our students who were there, this will be a walk down memory lane! Previously I posted about RENEWAL HERE and posted a little video HERE.

This is what it was all about.  Creating space to 'Renew' our relationship with God!

We walked trails with friends and mentors

We worship God in Private

We jumped up and down as we sang praises to the One who's above every name!  (Nothing like a good blurry worship from FIRED UP passionate worshipers...what would happen if the worship in every church on sunday mornings and saturday nights were HALF as passionate/energetic as this generations worship when they're "ON FIRE" for Christ?  Just asking)

Siblings coexisted...and LOVED IT! little sis carry big sis...gotta love it!

Some of us war-painted our faces for camaraderie

Leaders grew closer together...some A LOT closer (check out the boys, ha)

Yellow Squad grew more muscles...mostly spiritual but with all the running we did, they probably grew some leg muscles.

Boys turned flips...because that's what middle school boys do!

Some definitely had the intimidation factor working.

Some got first in the camp-wide scavenger hunt. (LOTS of running)

Some got second...others...well we won't mention them.  (Not every won sadly enough.....doesn't everyone win at church camp and get a blue ribbon...no. ha)

We made team cheers

Good, loving, well-intentioned leaders were cornered by angry mobs of middle schoolers during games. (Some deserved it. I'm not naming any names but I might have used a photo of him for this example)

Some leaders found their long lost heritage.

Our sweet innocent girl leaders got ANGRY and crushed dodgeballs with their bare hands

Some people held their ENTIRE team together during 4 square dodgeball by single handedly dominated other teams.

Some non-violent girls became violent and whipped dodgeballs at the bodies of others with intention to destroy.

We found out the ready stance and flexing was crucial to success.

And to bring it full circle...here's what the whole RENEWAL weekend retreat centered around...Pouring fire on our flames!  That was the main objective, that's what we were asking God to do (obviously he did more), that's what we got to witness, and THAT'S how great our God is.  There was nothing magical about our prayers, we just asked God and he blew our minds with all that he wanted to do! Our hands were lifted high...our hearts were bowing in reverance...we were surrounded by the glory of HIS presence!!! (Lyrics to the song that described our worship time together)

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GSM tonight

I'm at my house after an amazing day at GSM just thinking about how truly awesome God is. I had this sense for a while now but it's nights like this that remind me that God is definitely up to something! This last month in GSM (both middle and high school) have been incredible.  I'm more and more blessed by walking through life with this students and leaders.  I see Jesus all over them and they teach me more about how great our God truly is. Tonight this chorus keeps ringing in my head:

"And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us, and if our God is with us...then what can stand against!" -"Our God" written by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin, sung by Chris Tomlin.

Nothing can stand against our God! ...NOTHING!

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What "BREATHE" is all about

(I found rest here when I was in Cali in January.  I need weekends like this!!!)

Short and simple, here is what it's all about:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Mt. 11:28

We won't up in the mountains but we will be withdrawing the usual routine.

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What I look for in Volunteer Leaders

(Random photo that I found...wish I had some glasses like this.)

Yesterday I posted about types of leadership we have in GSM and today I just want to post the main thing I look for in volunteer leaders. Here it is:

Do they love Jesus

Do they care about students (legitimately care)

Do they desire to connect students to Jesus

So because of that, I see my job in looking for volunteers as finding these leaders who love Jesus and care about students then connecting them to each other. The kicker I learned from watching Mark Beeson and Mark Waltz is finding leaders who can also love the students who don't yet care about Jesus.  It's easy to love students who love Jesus but it's a whole different ballgame to love and care for students who could care less about Jesus.  They're just showing up because there are cool game, cute girls, a crazy awesome band, some semi-funny speaker, or because it's just the "thing to do". We're due up for some new leaders rolling through GSM

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GSM:U kicking off this weekend in GSM High School

We're kicking off a new series in GSM High School this weekend called "GSM:U". Do you know you?  Who are you?  How do you best communicate with others?  Are you introverted or extroverted?  How do you fit into your school, family, GSM, friend circle?  Do you ever clash with people because they're just "different" than you?  Are we drawn to people who are like us or different than us?  Don't opposites attract?  How do we accept those who are not like us?  Better yet, how do we love those who are not like us?  Shouldn't everyone feel included?

We believe the more you know who YOU are, the better you'll fit into true community.  We'll be tackling these questions in this next series at GSM!

Come ready to have fun, engage, and learn a WHOLE LOT about yourself!

Same time, same place, Granger Community Church, Granger Campus 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sunday Nights!

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I don't want your sex video

Here's a goofy little video we made for GSM High School instead of doing song special for it.  We didn't change any of the lyrics so it's not a true parody...but it totally is a parody by definition, but not.  We played this right before the message. This is "I don't want it" by DC Talk from like 1935...I mean  1992...I was 11. "I Don't Want It" from Jeffrey Myers on Vimeo.

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10 reasons our Dating/Sex series worked

Just finished our dating/sex series at GSM High School last night and here's a few tips that helped make the series a huge success for us.

1. Do the series. Don't dodge the topic. Simple.
2. Do the series for the right reasons. Do the series because you love students enough to want them to know the truth about dating/sex.  Don't do it just because you want attendance to jump, or to push buttons, or for the shock value.
3. Be honest. If students sniff that you're not being real with them, they'll shut down and assume you don't believe what you're teaching.
4. Don't beat around the bush. Student gave lots of feedback that they were glad and it was "helpful" that we "went there".  If you're going to bring up the topic, give them something of substance. Truth: most of them already know more than you can ever appropriately share from the platform anyway.
5. Get good research and a variety of resources to bring diversity to the platform. We can only share what we know, so the more we know the more we can share.
6. Don't give-in to "humor first". It's great to be funny (and you should be, students love it) but if that's the #1 method for teaching this topic students leave only knowing your jokes, not the Truth that will really help them in this area.
7. Encourage deeper conversation and processing in small groups. Students need a safe, Godly place to dialog about these things...they're talking about them already so
8. Awkwardness. I don't really know how...but it helped, haha.  (Got lots of these comment, "like, oh my gosh, like, THAT, like, was the most awkward GSM ever, like, wow, but, like, it was, like, a-mazing!")
9. Push the envelope. Standard/normal is boring so find ways to change things up.
10. Think like a high schooler and a shepherd.  Both matter.