It was the summer of my 7th-8th grade year when I spent 100 hours at Sunstream Retreat Center.  I had no idea what to expect.  My mom & a friend’s mom decided to take a van load of jr. highers to summer church camp and stay the week as counselors.  “What were they thinking?” You’re probably wondering!  As a parent of two teenage sons, I now know exactly what they were thinking.  100 hours of unplugging from the world’s influence & some focused attention on God might do a jr. higher some good.  Mom was right. Later on, in my young adult years, I began...

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 Recently, 28 willing students rubbed shoulders with a few of the homeless living in Des Moines.  Our mission was to demonstrate God’s love in a very practical way.  With the help & organization of Joppa Outreach, a ministry to the homeless, we descended on several of the camp sites where the homeless of our community have been residing during the winter months and picked up the trash that had been left behind. “We got a...

“Whatever measure you use in giving – large or small – it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:38 You know what happens when a ball is thrown against the wall. Assuming the ball is properly inflated, it will bounce back. Or, in the case of a Major League fastball coming in direct contact with a Major League home run swing, the ball will “return” with an even greater force. So it is with your generosity according to Jesus. Your time, talent and treasure, when given to God for his purposes with the right attitude, will return to you in the same measure given. Show...

Few students really know what they believe.  Even fewer know why they believe it.  Be equipped & learn how to equip others this summer at Summit Ministries. For the past 2 summers, DSM First has helped make it possible for juniors/ seniors in high school & college students to attend a 2-week training seminar entitled Summit Ministries, located just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado. What is Summit?  Summit is similar to an intensive college course.  Each session holds 170 students and consists of 70+ hours of lectures and small group discussion, with excursions sprinkled through out...

Jealous feelings can creep up unexpectedly, much like all other emotions.  You can try to control your emotions, but what we are truly saying is that we’re attempting to control our response to the emotion. A more important question to ask is, “What is the root to the rotten fruit that’s been revealed, in this case jealousy?”  Are you dealing with unmet expectations?  Often, we expect things should come easier or faster, and then when we see someone who has what we want, we feel the ugly, green monster of jealousy creep up!  Or, maybe it’s the sense of entitlement. ...

Happy New Year!  I am back from my “blog sabbatical.”  (A collective sigh of relief) I know from the 1,000s of emails I have received, it’s a been a difficult season, wondering when I would return so that you could resume your routine of filling the day with the most thought-provoking quips & quotes from said blogger.  I’m glad I can serve you in this way. Many things are happening in Student Ministries as we kick off this new 2013 year.  The most exciting news is the 2013 Winter Retreat!  Download the 2013 Winter Retreat Flyer and discover this year’s retreat...

They all think it.  Snap Fitness, 24/7 Fitness, Farrell’s, Kosama, YMCA, Prairie Life Fitness, 7 Flags, Aspen, Fitness World, Crossfit, etc. They all think you could lose a little more weight, get a little stronger, drop a few more inches in your waist line, get a little healthier. Maybe they’re right.  Maybe you should consider joining one of those establishments for the reasons mentioned. But have you ever thought about trying to exercise your faith muscles? Like, maybe getting up off your “spiritual backside” and doing something spiritually difficult? If you’ve...

No, not tent camping. I tried to get into that, but the last time I truly tent-camped in a tent-camping place, we were forced back to our house (approximately 6 miles away) due to multiple tornadoes & torrential rains. When we returned the next morning to retrieve our equipment, half of it had been stolen. Seems that tornadoes & flash flooding weren’t exciting enough for Gomer & Goober that night (real people but names I made up). They had to take it a step further and go rob some poor sap of his cheap tents and cooler.  Needless to say, that was the last time I went tent camping. INSTEAD,...

Attention Juniors & Seniors.  I’m inviting you to spend 2 weeks with me in beautiful Colorado this summer.  “Why?” you may ask.  “To get closer to Jesus, of course!” is my reply.  Not only will we be about 5,000 feet higher to the heavens, but we’ll be engaged in attending the Summit Summer Student Conference.  Summit Student Conference is a two-week session similar to a college course.  Each session holds 170 students and consists of 70+ hours of lectures and small group discussion, with excursions sprinkled in the schedule, ie. summit Pike’s Peak,...

Whether it’s with friends or family, intentionally take the time to reflect on the many blessings that occurred this past year.  One thing I learned to do from Mike Swaim is put together a highlight reel of family pics set to music and watch it New Year’s Eve.  You don’t have to go hi-tech, simply going through your vacation pics, camp pics, birthday pics will do!  We then talk about each of those events and the fun we had, the lessons we learned, what should we do this coming year, etc.  Create that family/friend moment and give thanks to God for “Every good and perfect...