Showing Up

Our Powderpuff Cheerleading Squad During the Game

There are a lot of Young Life phrases out there. We 'meet kids where they are at', we 'love them where they're at', we 'go after the farthest out kid' all while having 'club' and 'campaigners'.  For those out of the Young Life circles those phrases can get confusing. When explained though, they capture the essence of Young Life. In starting a new area one of the biggest challenges comes in communicating just exactly what Young Life is; to parents, faculty and especially to kids. While I've had many trials and errors explaining certain intricacies of Young Life one is always very simple; the concept of showing up. (There are also a lot of 'Christian girl phrases' out there; hilarious)

When you look at Jesus' ministry he was always showing up in people's lives. There were many instances people came to him, or that he would be in a public place preaching, but his ministry was also characterized by going to where people were. For instance, when we look at His calling of the disciples they weren't in a church service, but rather at their jobs in many cases. There are countless other examples, the woman at the well, the man by the pool and even our dear friend Zacchaeus. Jesus just happened to be walking down Zacchaeus street when he calls him down from the tree and goes to his house to eat with him. In following Jesus example we cannot afford to miss his missionary tendencies of meeting people where they were at.

Obama 'Showing Up' at the Volleyball Game

While we often think of being a missionary in terms of going to a foreign place for God, we can't lost the fact that we are all called to be missionaries. When I read the New Testament it seems like being a disciple and being a missionary were one in the same.  For me my 'mission field' is FCHS. So to follow Jesus' example there I have to show up in kids lives. My heart is to become ingrained in the very fabric of the school and there is no better way to do that than to invest time there. That is why you'll see YL leaders at football games, volleyball games, powderpuff games, plays, band practices, lunches, after school, before school, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, the list goes on forever. It can take years to become a part of the school where kids truly know you and start to recognize you. It's a matter of continuing to persist even when it is uncomfortable or awkward. Do you think it's easy for the African missionary to become acclimated to their new surrounding? Do you think they immediately become acquired into the social fabric of the people they go to? If not, then why should I expect anything different.

I 'Showed Up' to Hang with the Band at Halftime
. . . Then Stole Their Drums.

The reason this is big for me this week is that I had two very different experiences at the school this past month. A couple week ago I went to a home volleyball game as was my custom. You can read about it in the last blog, but suffice it to say it was one of my first big introductions into the awkwardness that comes with the territory of going after people. So after making small talk with a few kids and feeling like it wasn't of much use I headed home.

About a week later, Ben Brodin and I  headed to the next home game (if you haven't read about Ben yet read the post with him in antlers; priceless). This was by far the most fruitful and exciting time with kids yet. Kids recognized me, remembered my name, and asked me about fall weekend. I met ten new kids that I hadn't known before, a lot of them from different areas of the school. It was awesome. It was a moment that made me realize how at the slightest inconvenience I'm ready to jump ship when in reality I'm working towards something bigger. It was a good night. After talking with the Video Production kids, president Obama (pictured about) and a few football players we left the game amped about what the Lord was doing.



A Local Church I Got the Chance to Speak At on Sunday.

One last story. A few weeks ago I was invited by Derek Layman to come and speak at his church, Cool Springs Christian Church, here in Franklin County. It was a great opportunity and one that really made me look at the biblical principals of going to where kids are at. I read John 5 in preparation and really dug into the story of Jesus and the man at the pool, a story Steve Schmitt has used many of times in explaining Young Life and one that I attempted to use as well. The thing that stuck out to me was the Jesus strikes up a conversation with this guy who has no idea who he is. The guy has no idea that Jesus can not only heal him, but give him life and life to the full. He is conversing with the person with the answers to every question he could ever have. That is insane. As I've come to understand it, Christ has sent us, the Church, in His stead. I am where I am to be Jesus with clothes on. He entrusted His message and His purpose to a group of disciples who have passed in down the line all the way to us. So when I walk into the school, or to that game, or whatever it may be I have to realize the gravity of the situation.

It is monumental. It is fantastic. It is the highest calling one could possibly imagine. So in the midst of my insecurity, laziness, pride and questioning I will continue to show up in kid's lives in the hope and promise that they will be able to hear the Gospel that has forever changed my life. I'll continue to show up in churches to spread the vision that the Lord has given me in doing Young Life. I'll continue to show up to meet parents, and faculty and school boards because that is what Jesus did and who Jesus was. My hope is that I can stop worrying about feeling insecure or incapable of doing what He's asked me to and just be obedient. It's not my doing anyway. Alright, I'm going to hop off my soap box now, but I hope you understand the vastness and importance of what you are being asked to do, regardless of where your mission field is. Let us not take this lightly or feel overwhelmed. I'm honored to be in the fight with you.



Progress, Patience, People and Preparation.

Talking Life with Brendan and Troy in My House

These P's are the themes to my time in FranCo right now. The first is progress. Progress is being made. In past weeks it has moved at a break-neck speed. Lately it has slowed down to what seems normal. That's a good thing. As we move forward in establishing ourselves within the community and within the school we are being recognized. That awkward "Who is that guy?" look is slowly fading off the faces of our high school friends and many more people are understanding what Young Life is. We are meeting kids left and right and building relationships. We are moving forward.

However for myself, this takes patience. I don't know when I got the idea that everything should be immediate. Biblically we are called to be workers of the harvest, a year long process of toiling through intense physical labor for the joy of the harvest which comes once a year. If I work at something for a day and there isn't a harvest I wonder what I did wrong. But I'm learning. I'm learning that building relationships with kids take time. I am slowly getting to know kids in yearbook. Slowly getting to know the kids that we took to club. Slowly becoming recognized in the school. The other night, for the first time, I wondered what the heck I was doing at a volleyball game. I had been there the whole time and only had a few brief conversations with a few kids. What was the point? I realized though that I had to rest on the truth that I was there in Christ's stead. I have no idea what He accomplished by my being there. Even if it seems like nothing, my call to obedience doesn't change. We aren't to be fair-weather followers. And I'm being a brat if I get whiny when a kid isn't my best friend and asking questions about Jesus after one day. Pump the breaks, Nagle, just sow seeds.

Troy and Brendan joined Me In Praying at the School

The third theme has been people. I am incredibly thankful for the people in my life. In the past few weeks I have been visited by a lot of the people who support myself in this venture of Young Life in Franklin County, be it through prayer, friendship or financial donation. The joy of sharing this incredible vision we've been given has been beautiful. To have people experience the beginning signs of fruit in something they are investing their hearts in is an awesome thing. While we have been received with open arms by those in Franklin County, we are backed with the prayers and support of those all around the state and even a few scattered throughout the world. My hope is that everyone supporting me would want to come visit, partially because I want to see my friends and family, but more importantly because I want to share this vision; a main reason also for doing this blog.

Our Incredible Fall Weekend Flyer, Cudos to B. O'C.

Preparation is the final theme. We've talked about preparation for the banquet, which continues to make progress, but the thing I am currently most excited for is our Fall Weekend. Every fall young life areas get to take kids to a Young Life camp for the entire weekend. Kids get the opportunity to disconnect from a world of noise and expectations and just be themselves. You'll see on the flyer that it says "The Best Weekend of Your Life Guaranteed." and it will be. It is an absolute blast. Camp is carefully and thoughtfully planned out from beginning to end to blow kids expectations away. The greatest part is that for the first time, a lot of kids going will get to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a way that makes sense to them for the first time. While last year a small group went from here through a church, this will be our first official Fall Weekend with Young Life. It will also be my first time leading on a weekend. Putting things together for the trip is no simple task, but the process is one that gets me more and more excited everyday. We are given 20 spots to take to Rockbridge this year, but I'm hoping to be able to take 30 or more kids. My vision often outpaces my situation, but I want to pray big. This has the opportunity to be a huge boost. It also is a chance for kids to make eternity-altering decisions. And nothing is worth laboring for more.

Relationships

My Buddies and I in Kansas for #carrindiewedding

One of the biggest reasons I love Young Life is that it is a relational ministry. The community that comes from it is one that continually seeks to understand what a community rooted in Christ should look like. If it weren't for the group of guys I got to run after Jesus with in college, my life would look a lot different. I certainly wouldn't have as much wisdom as I do. Relationships are important.

My girlfriend, Becca, is someone who continually pushes me to know and love Jesus more. There are countless things I have come to learn about Jesus just from hearing her talk about her life and from the way that she treats me. Relationships can allow us to realize truths in our walk with God that are only head knowledge until we truly experience them in another person. For me there are times where Becca shows me love or forgiveness in a way that makes me think "Oh, that's what Jesus meant", or "Oh, that's how Jesus would have acted". It is crazy to me that God works in that way, but it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. We were meant to be in community. Those are just two examples that I've been getting a lot from recently. Again, relationships are important.

I Took Becca to Her Dream Location: A Puppy Farm

When looking at Jesus' life it is a beautiful thing to see the vast multitude of people that he affected. The relationships that he created on Earth were ones that affected people for their entire lifetimes. He wasn't limited to his peers though, when you look at who he has significant interactions with you see people of different ages, different ethnicities, backgrounds, occupations, etc. Jesus was known in a community. Relationships are important. All of this translate to what has been going on in FC.

As previously stated many times, I have a fantastic committee. As a leader at Tech I didn't get to interact with our committee much, only at picnics and other Leader/Committee events where our 80 person leadership split time with our committee. I knew they were great and essential, but not how absolutely crucial they were. In Franklin I get that. And while they do great work, the aspect of their servitude I am most thankful for is their ability to connect me to the county relationally.

My Cheeseball Pic from the Article!

You've read about pastors breakfasts, rotary meetings and school board presentations. All of these things have been set up by or aided by my committee. I've met literally hundreds of people since being here. I was even interviewed by the local paper because the man who runs it will be a table host at our banquet and was sought out by our committee. (Here's a link to the article!) Because of that article, I've been getting phone calls from people around the county wanting to know more about Young Life, and have people who I've met since say they remember me from the front page of the paper. It is a crazy web of relationships that stems from a group of people sold out for Jesus.

Due to all of this, Young Life is becoming a truly Franklin County movement. It isn't moving into the community and making its mark, but rather being welcomed into the community and partnering with it for every high school kid. It's awesome to see and to be a part of. This was never more obvious to me than during our table host meeting. Each year in areas that have Young Life there is a banquet. This usually happens in the fall, and ours this year is November 15th. Our aim in the banquet is twofold. I think its biggest victory will be in the fact that everyone who attends will be given a taste of what Young Life is. The banquet is going to fun. Its not a stuffy black tie event, it is run, in a lot of ways, like a Young Life club. It also doubles as a fundraiser. Yes, it does take some coin to do Young Life, and our banquet will allow us the opportunity to invite people to partner with us with their resources.

Our incredible, wonderful table hosts

Just like anything else, the banquet is relational. We aren't sending out flyers or emails, taking out ads in the paper (though the article does mention it) or renting billboards. Instead we personally invite people. It starts with out committee who for the past couple months have been asking friends, coworkers and family if they would want to be a table host at our banquet. The role of a table host is simple, to 'sponsor' a table at the banquet which simply means filling up the seats at an eight person table. For them to then bring people who they would want to gain an understanding of what Young Life is and what we are doing here in FC. This past Tuesday night we had our table host meeting where our 23 table hosts met with our committee and we got to share with them our vision for the banquet. Because each person represents a table of eight, and we know we will have some overflow, our hope is to fill 200 seats with Franklin County residents excited for kids hearing the Gospel. The ripples that this will have will be massive and impactful. Who knows what the Lord has up his sleeve for this one. Like I said, relationships are important.

Club.

What a wild week its been. I've been everywhere from Roanoke to Richmond to Lawrence, Kansas. But the best part of all? Last Monday night Ben Brodin and I took 4 kids from FCHS to a Young Life club run out of Hidden Valley High School. While the picture to the right couldn't be of lower quality, it is a victorious picture. It is a picture of the very beginning. The brief glimpse at whats to come.

Before we went to meet our FCHS friends, Ben and I grabbed some pizza and talked about our plan for the evening. We decided not to tell the kids much about what club would be like. We wanted them to be surprised. We wanted them to experience it without any preconceived ideas of what it would be. We told them that they would love it, and it would be one of the best nights they'd have in a long time. But most of all we talked about how amped we were for how the Lord was working. Here we were a little over a month in with a group of kids wanting to drive 45 minutes away to see something that they have no idea about. We were encouraged.

So we met in the parking lot and all six of us climbed into Ben's car and began our excursion. As you can see from the picture, we took two girls and two boys. As of now we don't have any female leaders in the area so to have two girls be interested already is huge. I don't want to say it was 100% because of Ben's rugged good looks, but from the picture in the previous blog I think you can deduce yourself that it was a larger factor. We found the address without much of a problem and walked in together to a house smack dab in the middle of suburbia.

Hidden Valley holds their Young Life club in a house. The house was big and beautiful, and as we walked in we quickly found ourselves in a sea of shoes. We took off our own to add to the pile trying to wrap our heads around how many people must be here based on the shoes. We heard loud music coming from somewhere downstairs and we followed some fellow club-goers down the stairs into the biggest club I've ever seen.

At the end of the night, Fetzer told me there were about 140 kids there including us. As we waded through the throngs of people, trying to find a place where I could talk to our group we had tons of kids introduce themselves to us. By the time we reached the back, the one area of the room that was even remotely open, Fetz came around the corner and introduced himself to all of us. Fetzer is the face of Young Life in Roanoke, and more specifically he runs the Hidden Valley club. Fetz is a rock star at getting people to buy in to whatever is going on. As he sat there and explained to our kids what club would like that night I felt blessed that we were hearing from someone who knew Young Life backwards and forwards. Our kids were all about it.

For the next hour or so we sang stupid songs at the top of our lungs, played games, watched skits and other things that sound absolutely lame when you try to explain them. I think if I told a kid we would be singing Taylor Swift songs at club it would be a great way to prevent them from coming. But I remember looking around the room seeing kids go absolutely nuts. The quarterback of the football team singing with an arm around some random freshman kid belting out "You Belong With Me". Ridiculous. And at the end Fetz gave a quick talk about Jesus and His calling of the disciples. He likened it to the football team and how you would expect Jesus to call the best and the brightest. If you were to put a football team together you would go around finding the biggest and most skilled guys. If you were trying to change the world you might do the same. But Jesus was different. He used what was ordinary to show that He was the real deal. He took a handful of fisherman, tax collectors and zealots. He calls all of us, no matter how we look at ourselves. And at the end he said a quick prayer and invited all to Bojangles, a HVHS Young Life tradition following club.

As we drove home we got to talking about everyone's favorite part of club. For some it was simply how crazy it was, for some it was how welcoming everyone was and for some it was the talk. They wanted to know when we could start this. How could be bring this to FCHS? Where could we have it? They wanted it bad. I told them that we could start meeting and looking at what this might look like for us. To say the least they are on board.

But the highlight of my night came when Ben and I got to tell them why we wanted them there. We didn't want to just show them an awesome time, we wanted them to hear what Fetz had to say. We got to tell them that we didn't just want to run a program, but that we wanted to give them a chance to hear the best news the world have ever known. The Gospel. That was the reason Ben and I were going to football games. That's why we were at FCHS as often as we could be. We didn't want them to get lost in the hype of club and miss the message.

So moving forward, we've got a lot of work to do. We have an incredible group of kids that is ready to get rolling. They want to go again in a week or so and bring their friends. They want to start meeting, a meeting we will call campaigners, weekly and going deep into what all of this means. The Lord is moving in big, big ways.

In conclusion, please continue to pray that the Lord would be guiding us. This is a ship that is moving very, very fast now and we want to be steering it with diligence. We don't want to get caught up in hype, but to slow down and allow the Lord to guide us. He will. And it will be incredible to watch.

10 Days Crammed Into a Short Blog

Ben Brodin: YL leader extraordinaire

I think this is a great picture, literally, of what is going on in Franklin County. This is Ben Brodin, FCHS's first official volunteer leader. Friday night Ben and I got to go to the FCHS football game against Christiansburg. Unfortunately, my alma mater was the victor against my new home, but there was much more going on than a simple football game. Again Ben and I found our seats in the student section, this time knowing many of the kids names and being greeted as if we belonged. We met knew kids, caught up with some we hadn't seen in a week, and continued to build relationships. This week's theme in the student section was camouflage, Franklin County's favorite color, hence why Ben is in his finest camo jacket with camo duct table attached his deer antlers. This is what can be referred to as a "Total Young Life move".

To catch you up, the past 10 days have been a blur. This entry might not be as much of a narrative as the others, but its aim is to give you a few glimpes of whats been going on. I have officially become a "Yearbook Consultant". My fingerprints are in the school system, my background check came back clean (guesst they didn't look hard enough), and I got my TB shot. All systems are a go. Last week I got to help out in class on three differents days and now I know all the yearbook kids, about 25 in all. Kids are starting to recognize me in the school and even come up and talk to me. Honestly it feels great to feel even a small sense of belonging at the school on a social level.

Volleyball games have been another huge way of meeting kids. My buddy Max, pictured in a few previous blogs, and I have made the trek to a couple of away games and its allowed me to meet a lot more kids and even parents. Most of the volleyball players parents know me to some degree which is awesome.

Captaining a Barge

In my quest to explore the entire county I got to help move a barge at Smith Mountain Lake. The Lake is about 25 minutes away from my house, but it is a huge party of Franklin County. A lot of kids that go to FCHS live on the lake.

Last week we were also able to have a Pastor's Breakfast. The goal of this was for us to build relationships with the people who are already doing ministry in Franklin County. While Young Life is certainly a new presence, there are committed people who love Jesus and desire for students to know Him that have been working here for years. As we aim to come alongside them it was important for us to establish a presence with them and be transparent in what we are doing. We had around 10 pastors that shared with us in a time of fellowship before Steve Schmitt and I gave them a brief presentation on what Young Life is and where we currently stand. I was left with an encouraged heart and a lot of people I knew would be praying for our mission.

I was also invited to speak at our local Rotary club. Soon I hope to do a blog about my committee, but for now I'll suffice it to say that they are incredible. They have vision, passion, are hard-working and committed to doing whatever they can for kids to meet Jesus. A few of them are rotary members and wanted me to be able to present Young Life to a lot of the big movers and shakers in the community. While Steve Schmitt had given them a presentation a few months ago, it was great to be able to update them with where we were now and field questions. A lot of important connections were made, and again, it was a great place to build relationships in the community.

The Never-Ending Pile of Thank You Notes ( A Very Good Thing)

With all the incredible things going on I am extremely behind on my Thank-You notes. As I write them I'm continually amazed at how much I have to be thankful for. The last blog was entitled "My Cup Overflows" and it is still overflowing. I couldn't ask for more.

But the Lord has given me more! Tonight Ben Brodin and I will be taking a group of students to a Young Life club for Hidden Valley. Andy Fetzer is a good friend and the Area Director for Young Life in Roanoke. Fetz, as we call him, has graciously opened his club up to us so that we can give our kids a vision for what it could be, and will be, in Franklin. Fetzer runs one of the best clubs in the state. He knows Young Life backwards and forwards and we couldn't be more excited that this club will be the first impression of Young Life that a lot of these kids have. Fetz told us we could expect about 120 kids there from HVHS, as well as us, crammed into one of the HVHS students houses. It will be insane and incredible.

The group of kids going came together without much work from Ben or myself. I told Max that I wanted to take him up to see club because he'd voiced a lot of interest in bringing Young Life here. From there, he told a few of his friends and it got to be 7 or 8 kids that asked us about it. So we decided to try and take two cars and Ben and I could be the drivers.

This could be a huge boost for us. The Lord is bringing along a lot of kids who have a passion for Young Life (even though they haven't even seen it) and a lot of influence in the school. This is big, big stuff. Jesus has big things in mind. Apart from all this strategic talk there is something much bigger going on here. Tonight, at 8 the Gospel will be preached to a group of FCHS kids in a way that speaks directly to them. Young Life is great but its merely a vehicle for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While I am excited for what this could mean for us, our fall weekend trip,and our future club plans, I want to be much more focused on the eternal significance that tonight will hold.

Dear friends I thank you for continuing to support me in all ways the ways that you are. I hope you continue to see the Lord's hand move here in Franklin and be encouraged. I hope that I will have another update very soon on the huge, huge things the Lord is going to do tonight. Away we go.