Click Here for Photo Album.  This was our first year to attend the SOAR student conference, and I was pretty impressed with the outcome of it. They brought in some awesome bands, and youth pastor/speakers from various parts of the states. This year’s theme was “FELLOWSHIP” focusing on connecting, unity, and oneness. The conference was a 3 day event held at the fabulous Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine, Texas. The hotel alone was worth the trip. It was a gorgeous facility with beautiful trails and scenery. Room rates were affordable, and the service was five star.

The conference was very organized, and you can tell a lot of hard work was put into the planning of this event. I would like to thank Donnie Parish, Steven Carroll, and everyone else who worked so hard to make this event happen. On day 1 we arrived, checked into our rooms, and registered just in time for the welcome and session 1. Solace Found kicked things off with some rocking praise music followed by a message from Adam Thomas on the fellowship of the Trinity. Afterwards we went and ate dinner at a genuine Texas steakhouse the “Salt Grass”. Session 2 kicked off shortly after dinner where Clif Johnson spoke a message from the book of Genesis titled “Why our World is so Jacked up” SOAR Village was next followed by a late night with comedian Tim Hawkins. Now this guy was hilarious.

Day 2 was just as exciting. We started the morning off with my favorite band Building 429. Some of our students actually got to go up on stage, and dance with them. Too Cool! Team SOAR brought a presentation, and after that we actually got to meet, get autographs, and take pics with the band. After that we had an afternoon of free time in which we went to the Bass Pro Shop where I put my head into the mouth of a 27 foot Great White Shark, followed by an afternoon at the Grapevine Mall. We hung out at the skatepark, got some hermit crabs, and had dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. During Session 4 Scott Attebery presented an awesome testimony that humbled all of us. Many of our students were impacted by his words. The evening closed with an awesome concert by Hawk Nelson. Many of our students are crazy about these guys.

The conference came to an end all too quickly, but it was great while it lasted. Friday morning during session 5 Solace Found led in another awesome time of worship followed by a message from Steven Carroll “Vision + Preparation + Action = Outcome” from Acts chapter 10. Each session was tied together by innovative videos on fellowship to make this event complete and concise. Each of our students left with a sense of greater understanding of fellowship and unity which made this event as a whole a worth while event.

This week would have been perfect if it had not been for the two times that we broke down on the way home, but fortunately both times God provided some great people to help us out. One of which was from Iowa. Other than that this event will go down in the books as one of our greatest events of the year. Can’t wait til next year.

(CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE PHOTO ALBUM)

Day 1: Friday April 24^th

2000 hours: Students arrived with smiles on their faces not realizing what they were about to encounter. I had marketed this three day event for the last two months as a local mission project and it was, but it was much more than that. The students began to fellowship with one another, and mingle amongst their belongings. (MP3s, IPODs, cell phones, teddy bears, comfy house shoes, and so on) I addressed the students when I entered the room with an abrupt tone in my voice. I was determined to strike fear in their hearts, and I did just that. I then herded the students into a small classroom in which I called the conference room or command central, and I laid out the startling truth. For the next 40 hours they would have all of their possessions removed with the exception of bedding, and one item that they brought. (NO Electronics!) The second thing they came to realize they would be sleeping outside and under cardboard boxes. Then I revealed unto them that they would have to work for their food. This in its self was a culture shock to our students. We showed a few short videos on poverty, and then I gave them two minutes to select one item. I was amazed at how quickly the girls were able to put their heads together to obtain all of the vital hygiene products. As far as the guys go we had a wallet, a roll of Duck tape, a book, and a pack of gum. After the items were selected we immediately locked away the rest of the possessions beyond the student’s access never to be seen again until Sunday. The time had come when stomachs began to rumble, and there was no food in sight, so in order to counteract this feeling many decided sleep was the best answer.

2200 hours: Students began setting up their bedding outside not knowing what to expect. For many of them it was their first time sleeping outdoors. It was still fun and games to many of them, but that was all about to change. I warned them that the temperature would be dropping soon, and it would serve them best to go to sleep so they might sleep through it. They didn’t listen. The cold a.m. winds came rushing over the hillside, and the wet morning dew began to settle upon them like rain. Some told me that they were not even able to sleep, and they wish they would have listened to me. Maybe they will take closer heed next time.

Day 2: Saturday April 25^th

0600 hours: The morning had all come too soon for some, and too late for others, but as for me I was content. I didn’t mention this in day 1, but I had all the adult sponsors participate too. Prior to re-entry into the facility it was necessary to clean-up their sleeping quarters, fold bedding, and form an orderly line at the door. As we entered back into the facilities just before the crack of dawn we immediately were grateful for shelter and the warmth of its walls, but that comfort was quickly shattered as students were reminded of the hunger that dwelt with-in. The breakfast bell rang and the students came running, however they found themselves very disappointed with just the two pieces of plain toast that lay before them. We allotted 8 minutes for breakfast before we headed off to our first service project.

0700 hours: We arrived at Helping Hands a local community help center in Bentonville, Arkansas, and I had each of the students wait in the same line that homeless and poor wait in on a daily basis Monday through Friday. They didn’t really understand why they had to just wait there, but it was simply for perspective and principal. After an hour of waiting we finally went inside and began to do our service project. Many of the students worked in the food pantry, while others worked on the back dock, and the remaining few on the floor cleaning shelves and straightening. We put in about three hours of labor, and it was time for us to be on our way.

1100 hours: Hunger was really starting to hit some of us at this point so we headed off to get in line for our soup kitchen style luncheon. We waited in the hot sun reflecting on our lives for over an hour when we were admitted in for lunch. Lunch was made of the mere basics such as tomato juice, noodles, and some vegetables. Add a couple crackers in there, and we had a meal fit for a king for all we were concerned.

1300 hours: We were off for our next mission/service project. This time we found ourselves at Memorial Park where we gave away over 150 icicles. Then we proceeded on to one of our church widow’s house where we cleaned windows, vacuumed, swept, mopped, did dishes, etc… We also had a crew working in the yard where we did some gardening for about 3 hours pulling weeds, trimming bushes and shrubs, and removing tree limbs. To top it off we hauled in a yard of dirt, filled a sink hole, and planted some grass seed. We put down a layer of hay, and called it a day at the widow’s house.

1600 hours: At this point each of us were filthy and stinky as we sat down to eat some bologna sandwiches. For some of them this was their first time to ever eat bologna, and they didn’t much care for it. As I watched these exhausted teenagers I found myself very proud of them. I didn’t want this event to be a complete torture so I decided to take them to TEAM IMPACT for a little entertainment. Here was the catch: they had no other clothes to change into, and they did not have the ability to bathe. Young men and women who on a regular basis walk around in the finest clothes, had to humble themselves to the level of poverty to experience humility and filth first hand. TEAM IMPACT was awesome, and they presented the Gospel in a powerful way. Many of our students were humbled in ways they will never be able to realize.

2100 hours: We finally arrived back at the church, and we all only had one thing on our minds: SLEEP! Unfortunately we had one last task to accomplish before lights out. We gathered back in the conference room where we discussed and watched a video on Cardboard Testimonies.

Day 3: Sunday April 26^th

0600 hours: Morning had come once again, and watching these students crawl out of bed was like watching a worm crawl out from under a rock. They did eventually surface out from under their beds, just in time to get to work. We divided the church activity center into multiple teams where we tackled the weekly cleaning list before church services that morning.

0800 hours: We sat and ate breakfast before we headed off to Church in the Wilderness. We went to Tanyard Creek Trail where we hiked to the Cave of Darkness and Destruction, on up to the Waterfall of Life, and finally around to the Swinging Bridge of Decision. I discussed how we can live our lives in a state of darkness and destruction or we can live our lives like an overflowing body of water pouring out in the form of a waterfall. When we came to the bridge of decision I challenged each of them to make a choice to live in a way that God’s love pours out of them daily. After Church in the Wilderness we gave the students the opportunity to go home bathe and take a nap, and then they would return that evening for the final report.

1800 hours: We did Cardboard Testimonies, and closed the evening off with a series of focuses and experiences, and a message from Philippians chapter 2.

Our 3 focuses were:

1. To whom much is given, much is required from Luke 12:48
2. Goal was to be made in the image of God
3. Key Word: Perspective

The 10 things that we experienced over this weekend were:

1. Loss of Possessions
2. Slept on Ground / Lack of Sleep
3. Hunger / Thirst
4. Loss of control of Time / Patience
5. Lack of Hygiene
6. Recjection / Embarrasment
7. Frustration / Exhaustion
8. Dependance / Teamwork
9. Faith beyound the church
10. New Perspective

3 Areas of Service:

1. Helping Hands
2. Memorial Park
3. Widow’s House

The message was from Philippians 2:1-11, 13-14, 17-18

3 Exhortations from Paul:

• Encouragement to Unity in the Faith - vs. 1-3

1. Open Your Eyes - vs. 4 (Look - Greek - Skop-eho - to scope out)

• Christ’s Ultimate Example of Service - vs. 5-11

2. Get Your Hands Dirty - vs. 13-14 (Work & Do - Greek - En-erg-eh-0 - to exert energy)

3. Pour Out Your Heart - vs. 17-18 (Offer - NKJV - Pour)

Overall it was an awesome weekend. I think my students gained more from this event than any event I have overseen all year. The Lord has really blessed the Refuge.

>>>Currently working on.

Featured music artist is Hawk Nelson.

Create a MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Our Featured Series will be kicking off June 3rd, 2009 during our Refuge Worship on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm.

Over the next three months we will be going through the bluefish series “Revolution 2″. A multi part video driven Bible Study with teachings from Doug Fields of the Purpose-Driven Youth Ministry.  This series will also include interviews with J.D. Drew, Caedmon’s Call, World Champion Andy Pettitte, Betheny Dillon and more. 

Life-Changing Topics Include:

1. Abuse
2. Divorce
3. Witchcraft
4. Home Sweet Home?
5. Play it Smart
6. Dating for Dummies
7. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
8. Life and Death
9. Decisions
10. Poverty
11. and more…

Be sure to join us as we go deeper in our faith.

We were right on schedule by hitting the road shortly after 1:00pm, and the trip was a blast. You know the usual, kids laughing, screaming, and farting, and so on. We arrived around 3:00pm, and the lines were already backed up around the facility. The doors didn’t open until six so we had to wait for over three hours in the freezing cold. It was all worth it when we found out that we were actually at the front of a line to the side entrance, and we were some of the first to get in and get good seats. We got settled in, and The Access kicked the event off. All youth pastors were called to a Pastor Prayer Meeting where I had the privilege to meet Toby Mac, Brandon Heath, the guys from Hawk Nelson, Shon Lock, Stephanie Smith, Tony Nolan, and more. I only wish I would have had a pen or a camera. What was I thinking? I have to say that Hawk Nelson was pretty awesome, until Toby Mac came out. You can’t even compare the two. Toby Mac blew the roof off that building. That was one of the best performances I have ever seen.

We finally were able to get out of the building around 11:00pm, and we were back on the road only to take a short dinner break. I was thinking it is going to be awful finding a place to eat this late at night with over 50,000 teenagers in the area. We were extremely lucky to catch a McDonalds on the out skirts of town just about to close down for the night. I felt bad afterwards, because as soon as we left 3 other buses pulled into the parking lot. Someone got some overtime. We eventually arrived home shortly before 2:00am. It was a very long day, but it was so worth it.

Volume 1 Number 5: July 2009 Devo

This month we will be looking at contentment.

>>>Click Image to Left for Devo!!