Blog Ghost town

That's basically what it has been for me, since the holidays started. I apologize to my faithful viewers (ha ha), but I hope to get back on track after the new year. I must admit, I have slipped a bit on the "watching what I eat thing", but I plan on hitting the gym hard again....next week!! :)

Keepin it Real,
Bholda

AMP'd Rewind

I can't believe last night was the last AMP'd of 2007!! Time has surely flown by but it has been an awesome ride for sure. We have seen students accept Christ, get focused, finally realize who they are in Christ, and we saw tremendous growth in our ministry. God is so AWESOME!!! I have no doubt that God is in control, but there are moments that I go "uhhh, now are you sure you wanna use me to reach these students, God?" And then He always reminds me that it's Him not me anyway!! I have had a blast this year and I have learned so much about Jesus, myself, and ministry. I'm excited about 2008 and looking forward to what God has in store for us.
Wil and the Marathon North Band did a great job leading worship and the students responded well. I spoke on the "Ultimate Gift" and took it from the angle that we are actually the Ultimate Gift we can give Jesus. We are the reward for His suffering, and all He wants is a relationship with us. What an amazing Truth!!! I guess that's about it for today, I will hopefully update through the Holidays, but I make no promises!!! :)

Merry Christmas!!

Bholda

The Haps

It's been awhile since my last post, so I thought I would take a moment and catch up right quick. AMP'd on Wednesday was awesome!! Jamie Crumpton led worship for us with our band and he did an incredible job, as always. This week Wil Martin(www.wilmartin.com) is coming in to lead since Steve-o is in Germany visiting his girlfriend. Wil is bringing his band from Marathon North and I'm very excited about those guys leading. This week will be our last AMP'd for 2007 which is crazy!! time flies so fast. It's kinda a bummer since we have lots of momentum right now, and due to the holidays we are taking a couple of weeks off. However, I am really looking forward to 2008, and everything that God has in store for our student ministry and our church. This is gonna be the year we open our student facility, "The Garage" and I know that is going to be such a blessing to have available to reach more students for the Kingdom. This week I'm talking about the greatest gift we could ever give to God. I'm taking a little different angle in that I want to stress to the students that their life is the greatest gift they could ever give God. After all, it was for us that He was born and crucified. I am praying for many salvations this Wednesday night!!
On a lighter note, I will be hitting the gym tonight, as I missed a couple days last week because of my schedule. I am trying to drink more water and watch what I eat as well. I will weigh at the gym tonight and chart my progress, hopefully I've dropped at least a couple of pounds. I guess that's all I've got to say right now, so I will try to post again later this week.

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

No Vacancy?

I don't know if you've ever just got the urge to go on a little weekend get away, and decided to skip the whole hotel reservation bit and go out on a limb and hope to find an open room at your favorite hotel, just to find signs similar to the one above: NO VACANCY. It is a very disheartening, discouraging and frustrating flash, those rays of neon rejection!! All that makes me think, which is scary I know. Here are some of my thoughts:
So this week I've been thinking a lot about Christmas and my relationship with Jesus and how it all ties in. Because it does all tie in, just in case you forgot!! If it wasn't for His birth, we wouldn't have His death, which led to His resurrection, which ultimately leads to our salvation when we place our faith in Him and Him alone. This time of the year we get so busy with shopping, running around getting last minute things together, office parties, family get togethers, having those ridiculous Christmas card pictures made (sorry if you get one in the mail from me, it wasn't my idea), and whatever else we have going on. We often loss sight of what is really important, and we begin filling our lives with so much junk, there is often times NO VACANCY for Jesus. Which, if the truth be known this is nothing new for Jesus to experience. I mean, when He was born there was NO VACANCY in the inn, so He had to be born in a barn-Luke 2:6-8 then as He is going about His ministry, people including His own family, reject Him-Luke 4:28-30, John 7:1-5 and finally He was buried in a BORROWED tomb outside the city-Matthew 27:59-60. This is not the way it should have been, but the sad part is that it still happens today even with we Christians. We get so absorbed in our agendas, our plans, our lives, that we essentially have NO VACANCY for Jesus. Let's take the time and make the effort to remove the things that are taking up room in our lives and give Jesus His rightful place, the CENTER OF OUR LIVES!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

AMP'd Rewind and other stuff

AMP'd was crazy great this week!! The energy was incredible and the momentum is building. We are going to meet for the next 2 weeks and then take a break for Christmas\New Year's and then crank back up for 2008!! The band did mostly Christmas music, but probably not a way you've heard before, they pretty much rocked the songs out!!

Here is the set list:
Angels we have heard on high
Deck the halls
We wish you a merry Christmas
Walk by Faith-Jeremy Camp
12 days of Christmas

We finished up our series "Are you a player" with a message called "Faith Trifecta". The whole idea is that faith is made up of 3 things:
1. Trust-Heb. 11:1
2. Risk-Matt. 8:5-6, 10
3. Action-Matt. 14:29
Just these things alone aren't faith, but when we combine all 3 we have true faith. I did a couple of illustrations that i think really connected with the students, so i'm excited that they got it!
On another note, we played our second church league basketball game last night, and we came away with the much needed "w". It's fun to just get to play basketball every week, it kinda takes me back to my high school days, except i'm like 10x's slower than i used to be!! This afternoon i am coaching our 18 and under boys team, and then going to Crystal's work Christmas party, so it's a pretty busy Saturday. Well, i guess that's about it for now, have a great weekend!!

Keepin it Real,
Bholda

Update from the Upstate

Well, I hit the gym hard last night, and I'm really tired and sore, but that's the norm when you work out I suppose. Tomorrow is my fitness evaluation which should be interesting. I felt like I did pretty well yesterday with watching what I ate. I had a grilled chicken salad with lite vinaigrette dressing at lunch and for dinner I had Italian chicken with a small salad, and I drank water (which I hate!!). I bought some of those flavor packets to put into my water, so maybe that will help me drink the required amount of H2O everyday.
On a non-fitness note, tonight is AMP'd and I am pumped about that. We lost a little momentum at Halloween, but over the last couple of weeks have seen the momentum pick back up. Last week we had 15 first time students, which was AWESOME!!! Tonight is our last message in the "Are you a player" series, and tonight I'm talking about faith. I have a couple of cool illustrations which I'm looking forward to the reactions from the students, it should be fun. We have 2 more weeks after tonight until Christmas break, so I want to make the most of the opportunities to reach students. I'm sure I will post the AMP'd rewind at some point tomorrow. Until then, I'm gonna try to choke down 64 oz. of water!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

Update

Well, i was able to workout 2 days this week at the Y, but i am playing in a church league basketball game tonight, so that should count as some cardio i suppose. I have my fitness evaluation on Thursday, which i'm pretty pumped about. A trainer will hook me up with a workout made specifically for me, which i'm looking forward to. I have tried to control what i eat or at least portion size. I will jump back into the gym full-force on Monday, so i will update again early next week about my progress.

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

You're Invited!

So after much thought and serious contemplation( not constipation!!) I have decided to use my blog to update the progress on my pursuit of a healthier life. I will be giving weekly updates on how my workouts are going as well as my eating habits and weight loss. Hopefully, it will only be updates on loss, not gains!! I have signed up at the "Y" for the wellness works program which will tell me my percentage of body fat, weight, etc...and based on those figures a trainer will custom fit a workout regiment for me. I started last night with about 10 minutes on the elliptical machine (aka butt-kicker), then moved on to the treadmill for 25 minutes and finally ended the torture on the bicycle for 15 minutes. It was brutal!!! I'm really not terribly sore at this point, but they always say it's worse on day 2, so tomorrow should be just dandy. I plan on going back tonight and doing the routine again. I hope to go the the Y 3-4 days per week, plus I am playing church league basketball on Friday's, so if I can watch what I eat, my goals should be realistic and obtainable. Either way, my friends in the blogging world you are invited to embark on this journey along side me step by step! No pressure right!?

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

We'll see how it goes...

I'm starting my workout regiment tonight at the YMCA in Easley, so we'll just see how it goes!! I know most people wait until after the new year to attempt such madness, but I'm trying to get a little head start on everyone else. I have fallen victim many times to the new year's resolution trap, so hopefully this will throw my body for a loop and somehow trick it into submission. My first goal is to lose 15 lbs by January 18th! I know it's not gonna be easy, but I am committing myself to this goal, so once again we'll see how it goes. Notice I said my "first goal", because there are many. After that, my second goal is another 15 lbs by say March, which should put me pretty close to my target weight, which is about 185. I know, I'm a fatty but I'm workin' on it!!! Don't you judge me!!! But anyway, I will spare you the agony of the before picture, so no worries there. I guess that's it for now!! Oh, by the way, I just realized the whole time I was writing, I was munching on a gingerbread cookie someone brought me!!! This is gonna be TOUGH!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

Happy Turkey Day!!

Just wanted to take a second and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it is a great time with family and friends, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect and thank Jesus Christ for all He has done and CONTINUES to do for all of us. It will probably be a few days before I post again, unless I have an incredible encounter with a deep fried turkey or something!!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

AMP'd Rewind

Last night was a blast!! There was tons of energy and the students seem to be responding to our new series "Are You A Player?" We talked about how God has called us to serve and put others before ourselves. Here are my points:
The key to serving is LOVE.-Galatians 5:13-14
1. Serving is a choice.-Philippians 2:3-4
2. Serving is contagious.-Acts 2:44-45
3. Serving brings significance.-Ephesians 2:10

The band did a great job and introduced a couple of new songs. Here is their set list:
Revolution-United
Take it all-United
All because of Jesus-Fee
Burn for you-Fee
Broadcast-Fee

We are not meeting next week , since Thanksgiving is Thursday. You might be wondering why we don't meet and the answer is obvious...I have to begin training and getting my stomach ready for all the food I'm going to consume on Thanksgiving!! =)

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

The Haps

Well, I haven't updated in a while so I thought I would just put a little update on the haps going on right now. The wife and I still have the house on the market, well, for 3 more days and then the contract is up. That's ok, because we can see God working out some pretty cool things for us in the near future, which I will talk more about as they happen, but I can promise you they are exciting to say the least!! We are currently in a series called "Are You Player" at AMP'd which is all about being a player on God's team and getting off the bench and contributing to the Kingdom. Tomorrow night we are looking at being a servant and what that means, and how we can all better serve while we are here. I will be using 1 Peter 4:8-11 as a spring board into the message. After the message, I have a real hands on opportunity for every student that is there to serve, so that should be really cool. Watch for the AMP'd rewind this week to see how things went. In other news, it's basketball season, which I LOVE!! We are getting a team from the church in an Over 30 league in Greenville, so I am excited\scared about playing because I love playing but hate being out of shape. I am also "coaching" a 18 and under church team this year, so that should be interesting. I think between my playing\coaching this year I should have plenty of material to blog about!!! Well, I have an all staff meeting in about 10 minutes so I need to wrap it up I guess. More posts coming this week!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

A Pretty Cool Spot

If you are from the Powdersville area, then you have probably seen the Twisted Bean ice cream and coffee shop that has just opened up next to Little Caesars. We have several students in our ministry that work there so they told me to stop and check it out, so I did, Monday and Tuesday!! It is a really cool place, set up much like a StarBucks with comfy chairs, couches, and high tables. On Monday I had some of the ice cream which was very good. You choose from chocolate or vanilla ice cream or yogurt and then they mix in as many toppings as you want. I went with peanut butter-DELICIOUS!!! Yesterday, I took the interns over and we had a brainstorming meeting for upcoming series and Merge, our winter trip. I think I'm going to start going there to get out of the office from time to time and study my messages, read and brainstorm. Yesterday I went with the hot chocolate, Taylor had a mexican spiced hot chocolate and Steve-O went with the 100% fruit smoothie made with blueberries, they were both impressed with their selections. I would definitely recommend stopping by and giving it a try. Maybe I'll see ya there!!!

Keepin' it Real,
BHolda

EVENTFUL

Is really the only way to describe this weekend. We started the weekend out on Friday night with Project 109 (our pimped out tailgating bus) at the Wren/Easley game, and i have to say it was probably one of the most successful outings we have had with the bus. We had a lot of students come by and hang out with us and eat free hamburgers and hot dogs, and the hot chocolate was a huge hit because it was COLD!!!! Wren laid the smack down and beat the Green Wave 51-7 which was somewhat surprising since the first match-up ended with Wren winning 21-20. On Saturday, the wife and i hung out for a while and she went to the Miss Greenville pageant to see one of our volunteers compete and win, i might add! Congrats Laura!! While that was going on, i went to the Bi-lo center and saw Ruth, Relient K, and Switchfoot in concert, it was AMAZING!!! Thanks Wil!! Then on Sunday i spoke all 3 services at Marathon and had a blast, I enjoy getting to speak in the "Big Church" from time to time because i believe it stretches me as a speaker. I found out this morning that we had 3 salvations!! Man, God is AWESOME!! After church, we ate lunch with Crystal's aunt, uncle and 2 cousins at Cracker Barrel. 3 words... Home style Chicken. After the stuffing of my face, I went over to Sammy's and raced go-karts (see his post for more info on that at www.sammyclary.com). It is always an adventure when i jump into a kart!!!
Well, that's about it for now, i will try to post some more this week.

Keepin' it Real,
BHolda

A Good Weekend!

Well, this weekend was a very good and relaxing one I have to say. On Friday we took Project 109 to the Berea/Pickens game and it was a big hit!! WE gave out tons of free footballs and met a lot of students. Saturday the wife and I slept in, which we don't get to do very often, so that was nice. We basically hung out together all day and went and got some Bruster's ice cream!! Man. their peanut butter crunch is da bomb!!! I recommend it without a doubt. Sunday was awesome at Marathon. Pastor Eddie(www.eddiecox.org) and his wife Lynn did a "Pastor Chat" during the A.M. services and it was really good for our people to hear from both of them and what God is doing in their lives. Sunday night we had a praise night, which was INCREDIBLE!!! It was a time for us to come together as a church family and just focus our attention corporately on Christ through music and prayer time. Well, that pretty much brings you up to speed on my weekend, so now I'm gonna continue getting ready to speak on Sunday morning at Marathon! It should be fun to say the least. I have a few things up my sleeve for everyone, so I'm excited about the opportunity!

Keepin' it Real,
Bholda

Some thoughts and the AMP'd Rewind

We had another great night at AMP'd last night. It is amazing to watch what God is doing at AMP'd. We have seen AMP'd grow by about 66% since August, which just blows my mind. But there is also a flip side to that rate of growth. The flip side is being able to do more than just grow a big group. I don't want us to have a big group just to say we have a big group. My heart is to make disciples, plan and simple. If I were completely honest, it is cool to see growth, and I do get excited ever week when we have more students show up, and that's ok. BUT is that where it should end? NO WAY!! Now it is our calling to make disciples of the students God has entrusted us with. We plan on doing that through plugging them into weekly small groups and giving them opportunities to serve at Marathon and our community. Making disciples isn't easy, it takes work, much more work than just blowing stuff up or having cool lights, funny videos or great music. It takes time and commitment, which me and my volunteers are willing to give. We have close to 50% of our students actively involved in small groups and there are students that serve on Sunday mornings in our children's dept, media dept, greeting and ushering ministry. It is awesome to see students giving back. We have not arrived by any means, but we are committed to the vision and direction God has given us for Marathon Student Ministries!
Here's the set list:
Made to Love-Toby Mac
Everything Glorious-Crowder
Holy is the Lord-Tomlin
American Dream-Switchfoot

Taylor Mills, one of our student ministry interns spoke last night and did a great job. He spoke on the dangers of materialism and how students can still buy stuff and honor God at the same time. I am a firm believer in pouring into people and giving them opportunities to use the gifts God has given them. It's not the Bryan Holder show, THANK GOODNESS, cause that would be LAME for sure!!!! :) Well, that's about it for now, I promise I'm gonna try to be more vigilant in my posting from now on.

Keepin it Real,
Bholda

Fantasy Football Sucks!!

MAN!!!! I can't stand Fantasy Football, it's just that simple. I joined a league this year and I am currently 2-5, that's 2 wins, 5 loses. I guess when you are such a fine tuned athlete like myself, and you aren't used to losing it makes it all the worse. Ok, fine tuned may be pushing it..., ok, athlete may be pushing it, but I still hate losing!!! I was projected to win on Sunday and still had a couple of my players that were going to play on Monday night, which would mean I should add to my point total. Well, apparently not!! I lost by like 8 points and it really stinks. I just don't understand what the deal is. I guess I am going to have to buckle down, make some wise trades, and smart roster adjustments and see if I can't win out the rest of the season. I will let you know how the season goes from here on out.

PS-Sorry for the rough language, maybe I should have said Fantasy Football Inhales Profusely!!

Keepin' it Real (and losing),
Bholda

Lots of stuff...

Going on right now in the life of one Bholda. As many of you may have read on Sammy's blog(www.sammyclary.com) i went over and rode the new karts on Sunday night, and I was so fast I actually wore a hole into the seat of the go-kart!!! Not only the seat of the kart, but the seat of my coveralls, shorts and underwear!!!! I realized something was wrong when my bum started burning and going numb, so I pulled over and checked out what was going on, and sure enough, a perfect hole!!! It was hilarious to say the least!! I can't seem to understand why these types of things always seem to happen to me. If you have any ideas why, please let me know!!
On a different note, my wife and I are still trying to sale our house in Williamston, which is going ok I guess. We have shown it a few times and actually have a showing scheduled for tonight, so hopefully they will make an offer we can't refuse!!!
Things are going GREAT in the student ministry right now, we are still growing and reaching new students which is AWESOME. At this point we have around 50% of our students plugged into small groups which is where they get to dig deeper into the Word and build lasting relationships with each other and their small group leaders. When we kicked off our small groups we had about 80% of our students in groups, but we have continued to grow so we need to focus on getting the new students plugged in. It is a really good "problem" to have.
We have our winter trip, MERGE coming up and I am pumped about that. We are going to Pigeon Forge over MLK weekend and at this point we have 76 students signed up. It is going to be a great trip and I am expecting God to do some cool things in our students lives. The cabins we are staying in are insane!!! Check 'em out at www.sherwoodforestresort.com.
I guess that's about it for now, it's time to focus on finishing things up for AMP'd tomorrow night!!!

Keepin' it real,
Bholda

Just an update

I wanted to take a minute and jot down some things that are happening in my life right now (in case you were interested). Crystal and I have our house on the market, and we have found a house we really like that is closer to church and to Crystal's job. We have had several folks check it out and have had 1 offer, but it was not where we needed it to be, so we are trying to be patient and hold on for another offer. The student ministry is boomin'! we have had record attendance at AMP'd and kids are getting plugged into small groups, and serving all over the church. It is really an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing and i know this is just the beginning. I just finished a book called Simple Church, which opened my eyes and reminded me why we do what we do. If you are in ministry or plan on being in ministry,(including volunteer) I would highly recommend this book. It is an easy read, otherwise I couldn't have finished it!! We are wrapping up our series "Now What" tomorrow night at AMP'd with a message entitled "I lost someone...now what". Our group just experienced the death of one of our students and it really hit hard, so I felt God leading me to face the issue head on and show the students how to handle the death of someone they are close to. Well, I guess that's about it for right now, I will update with an AMP'd rewind on Thursday!!

Until then,

Bryan

AMP'd Rewind

MAN!!! Last night was awesome!! The energy was out the roof! (pardon the bad grammar) We started a new series last week called "Now What" and the kids have responded in an awesome way. Last night the message was "I screwed up...now what?" We talked about what happens after we have made a bad decision or wrong choice. We talked about how God has forgiven us, and how He has taken away our guilt and shame, and how we should forgive ourselves and move forward. It was a great night and I know lives were changed! I got to pray with one guy last night that accepted Christ!!! how cool is that, it wasn't even a "salvation" message!! God is so AWESOME!!! Here is the set list:

Solution-United
No One Like You-Crowder
Starting Over-Audio A
Everlasting God-Lincoln Brewster

God is doing something amazing within our student ministry and I can't stop thinking about what is coming next for us!! Our small groups are booming, which is a key focus for us because we don't want to have a big group on Wednesday's just to have a big group. We want to make DISCIPLES!!! and this is best accomplished for us through small groups. We are still having a bunch of NGU students helping out (about 20 last night) which is incredible. They are so willing to reach out and pour their lives into our students and it is a beautiful thing to see.
In other news, you should go out today and buy the new David Crowder Band CD, Remedy, it is off the charts AWESOME!!!! Well, that's about it for now, thanks for reading.

Keepin' It Real,
Bryan

Takin' some time...

Off for a couple of days this week. Crystal and I are in Charlotte for a couple of days for Crystal's 29th birthday. It is definitely much needed time off for both of us! We have been wide open since April and this is the first time we have been able to get away and spend quality time together. We went downtown and walked around tonight and grabbed a Starbucks, which I must say was AMAZING!!! Tomorrow we plan on going to check out the Body Worlds Exhibit at Discovery Place, which should be interesting to say the least. I'm sure I will report about how all that goes at some point in the near future. Until then, I'm shutting this thing down and just chillin' here at the Hilton looking forward to the breakfast bar in the morning! :)

Keepin' it Real (in Charlotte),
Bryan

Friday Night Lights

This Friday night there is going to be a huge rivalry happening in High School Football. Wren versus Easley at Easley. It should be quite a battle, just like it has been the last couple of years. This is always an exciting game, not just from an athletic stand point, but from an outreach stand point as well. These 2 schools are where we draw most of our students since they are so close to the church. So without question, Project 109 will be there, tailgating and providing a place for students to hang out and have a good time. Rumor has it WYFF is going to be there to do a story on Project 109, so that should be sweet!!! I saw Geoff Hart and John Cessarich at a North Greenville University game last week and showed them the bus and they were blown away and really wanted to do a story, so hopefully this week will be the week!!! Either way, it's going to be a blast, so if you aren't doing anything and you wanna come tailgate with us we will be there around 5:30.

Keepin' it Real,
Bryan

Funerals, Music Fest, and Switchfoot

Man, the last week or so has been crazy! It has been an emotional roller coaster ride to say the least. On September 2nd, I got the call that Youth Pastors dread getting. The call that informs you a student in your ministry has been killed in a car accident. Jesse Marie Arnold was on her way to work when she was ran off the road by a truck which caused her to lose control of her car. Her car hit a tree and she was killed instantly. It was a very difficult week dealing with that loss. This is the first student I have lost in my 11 years of ministry. My prayers go out to her friends and family. Please remember them during this time.
On a lighter note, we had our Music Fest this past Sunday and it was a huge success! WE had tons of people show up, I haven't heard the final count, but it is safe to say it was way over 3000!!! It was a blast getting back to what Marathon does so well, big events that reach out to the community. It was awesome seeing the big stage, the food vendors, 11 carnival type rides, rock climbing walls, huge slides and people all over the place having a great time. We got to do all this and share about Jesus Christ!!! It was a blast. In other news, I found out the other day that our student band made it onto Switchfoot's official website.(www.switchfoot.com) Last fall we did a series called the "Best Sex Ever" and the band did a cover song by Switchfoot called "Amateur Lovers". We videoed it and put it on Youtube and apparently someone from Switchfoot found it and put it on the front page of the website. You should click on the link above and go check it out.

Keepin' it Real,
Bryan

Is It In You?

No, I'm not talking about Gatorade! I'm talking about something I saw at the Clemson/FSU game on Monday night. It was an incredible sight to say the least, and unfortunately something you don't see all the time in most places. It is something that is at best for most people fleeting, and inconsistent. Ok, you're probably wondering what "it" is right?, or maybe not! :) Anyway, I'm talking about passion. You see, Monday night, Sammy and I sat behind the Clemson Band and we were able to watch the directors as they worked their magic. There was one dude that got up on that stand and BROUGHT IT!!! If he would have been on the field, Clemson would have won by 50 points, he was fired up. The faces he would make will directing and the way he moved and waved his arms was incredible, he was PASSIONATE!!! I pointed this out to Sammy and he was like "that dude is passionate, and I like that"(not the dude, but his passion). I thought to myself, I like passionate people as well. But I think we have to be careful about what we are passionate about, obviously. I have noticed that as humans we can misplace our passion and use it for things that don't really even matter. Death Valley was packed on Monday night and there were tons of passionate people in there, but at the same time it's kinda sad. So many people pour their passion into a football team. Don't hear what I'm not saying! I'm not saying it's bad to cheer for your favorite team, or even paint their logo on your chest. I'm simply saying sometimes our passion may be wasted or misguided. Think about this, what if husbands were that passionate about putting their wives first, or spending more time with the kids? What if we were more passionate about helping the needy? What if, as Christians we were that passionate about our walk with Christ, or sharing our faith, or just being His hand and feet? I think everyone is passionate about something, so I have been challenged to put my passion into things that really matter and I hope you have too.

Keepin' it Real,
Bryan

Monumental Day

My blog just rolled over the 2000 views mark!! I know what you might be thinking, "2000 views in one day!!, WOW" but let me clarify. That is 2000 views TOTAL since I started this blog!!! HAHAHAHA!!! I have to say that's both sad and funny, seeing as how I started this blog several months ago. But you know what, I'm ok with that because you might as well laugh at yourself, because if you don't someone else probably will!!!! So, with that being said, if you have been reading my blog I want to extend a thank you for making this day possible for me!!! Who knows, in another year or so maybe we can share the excitement of reaching 5000 views!!!! :)

Keepin' it Real (one view at a time),

Bryan

AMP'd Rewind

Last night was another great night at AMP'd!! We have a lot of momentum and it is just an exciting place to be. We are in our second week of our series called "Under the Influence" and we looked at how our friends influenced us. Here are the points from the message:

1. We were not created to be alone. -Ecc. 4:9-10

2. Our friends can shape us or deform us. 1 Cor. 15:33, Prov. 18:24

The most important question: What kind of friend are you?

The band once again blew me away!! It is awesome to have a truly student-led band. The guys that play range from 15-18 years old. I gotta give props to Chase (www.chasencallahan.blogspot.com) for pouring into these guys and developing them, not only as musicians, but believers! Here is the set list from last night:

One Way-United
All Because of Jesus-Fee
What the World-United
From the inside out-United
Best of you-Foo-fighters

The students were pumped and engaged throughout the entire night. We had tons of volunteers there to love and pour into the students. I feel like I have done my job when a student bypasses me and goes to one of our volunteers for a high-five, hug or just to hang out. God is doing something HUGE in a group of college students from North Greenville. One of my interns Taylor, goes to NGU and he has been recruiting other students to come and volunteer. Last night, there were at least 13 students here to help out from NGU. I am pumped to see so many college students fired up about Christ and ministry!!! They are getting plugged in left and right. Well, I'm still on the Wednesday night hangover, so I'm gonna go chill for awhile and take it easy, and it's gonna feel great!!

Keepin' it real,
Bryan

Sno-Kones, Go-karts, and Bee stings

Well, it's been awhile, as usual! I wanted to take a minute and update what has gone on the last few days in the life and times of Bryan Holder. On Friday night, we took Project 109 to the Wren/Palmetto game at Wren and gave out free Sno-Kones and promotional footballs. It was a huge success and we got to talk to a lot of students and tell them about Marathon and what we have going on in the student ministry. On Saturday afternoon it was go-kart racin' time over at the backyard track at Sammy's house. There were about 5 of us competing for a spot in the winners circle. I brought Seth Lucas with me who was our site missionary in Memphis this summer and got him in on the action. I have to say he probably got into the action a little more than he wanted. He had a terrifying crash coming out of turn 3, like seriously, I thought he was dead. His front wheel came off and he did a violent roll, so violent that he ripped, yes ripped the steering wheel off the kart!!! Needless to say, that kart is now used for parts and that is about it. Seth came away with a few bruises and a puncture wound in his leg. And in more exciting news, I finally won a race!!! After a dry spell of about 30 races I finally got a taste of victory lane, and I must say it was SWEET!!!
Yesterday I had to go to the allergy doctor and find out what types of bees I am allergic to. Much to my chagrin(i like that word) I found out I am pretty much allergic to every kind there is. Honey bees, wasps, yellow jackets, white-face hornets, yellow-face hornets, and the list goes on. As a result of that, I have a 60% chance the next time I am stung by any of the above species of having a serious reaction, including DEATH!! Yeah, I would say that is a pretty bad reaction!! So I have to carry this EPIPEN around with me and if I get stung I have to jab it violently into my leg and get to the hospital. Sounds fun huh? Well, that's about it for now, I'll try to update again soon.

Keepin' it Real,
Bryan

AMP'd Rewind

Last night was AWESOME!!! We did our back to school kick-off at AMP'd (our Wednesday night worship service for students) and it was a blast!!! I'm glad we can finally get back into a routine and meet on a regular basis. Our student band did an awesome job with the worship, the just keep getting better and better. It is so neat to see students leading students!! We started a new series called "Under the Influence" and the basic idea behind it is that we are all influenced by someone or something, so we need to step back and look at who or what it is. Last night I talked about how culture is a huge influencer and we need to be careful how we handle that. I challenged the students to actually be the ones influencing instead of being the ones getting influenced. I spoke from Daniel 6. Here are my points:

1. Daniel wasn't influenced by the culture. Dan. 6:10

2. Daniel influenced the culture. Dan. 6:26

3. Daniel prospered because of his stand! Dan. 6:28

The set list went like this:

Godspeed-Anberlin
What the World-Hillsong United
All Because of Jesus-Steve Fee
Solution-Hillsong United

I am pumped about this fall and I know God has some incredible things in store for our students and Marathon Student Ministries! Oh, I now have 2 interns in place, Steve-0 and Taylor and they are doing a great job!!! Still looking for at least 1 or 2 more, so let me know if you know someone. You can e-mail me at bryanholder@marathonlive.org if you know someone that would be interested in helping out.

Keepin' It Real,
Bryan

Gettin' Ready!!

Tonight is the Easley/Pickens football game, which is a huge rivalry around these parts. I personally don't really care who wins because I didn't attend either school (yes, I went to a Christian high school) However, I do have a vested interest in the game because we have students in our ministry from both schools. Last year, a group of volunteers embarked on a journey to create a "tailgating monster" to take to the football games on Friday nights as an outreach tool. The name of said monster is Project 109. We took an old school bus that the church had and totally transformed it into a "pimped out" tailgating monster. I wish I could say that this was an original idea, but there was a pioneer in the tailgating game before Project 109, it's name was Gus the Bus and it was the brain child of my good friend Sammy Clary (www.sammyclary.com). So we took the concept of Gus and added our own personal touches to it. Project 109 has a second story with a spiral staircase, 4 X-Box 360's that are played on 20" flat panel tv's, 4 15" sub woofers outside, plus 8 mid range speakers, and 3 more speakers in the cab, and 2 grills built into the bumper on the back. The whole vision of even trying something like this is to reach people, especially teenagers. We will be taking this to at least 6 high school football games and a couple college games this year. I am pumped about this fall and being able to use Project 109 as an "out of the box" tool for outreach. I have posted a few pictures of Project 109 in it's early stages and plan on updating with lots of cool stories of how teenagers were reached through Project 109!!

Keepin' It Real,
Bryan

Anniversary Weekend

This weekend Crystal and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary! I know what you are thinking, Crystal must be crazy to have been able to hang in there 6 years with me!! We got up on Saturday morning and went to the Anderson Jockey Lot, that's right, the Jockey Lot. On a quick side note, if you are ever feeling bad about your life, take a trip out to the Jockey Lot because there are folks there that make Jerry Springer guests look like royalty!! I would dare say the average number of teeth per person is about 12, SERIOUSLY!!! Sorry for the digression. We went to the Jockey Lot to look for some furniture for a couple of rooms in our house. After that, we just went back home and hung out for a while and chilled, it was nice to be able to do that I must add. That evening we went to our special place, California Dreaming (ahhhh how sweet, we have a special place). That place would make a really sweet house by the way!! Sorry, that is the ADD kickin' in I think. It was a really awesome day, and I am blessed to have such a Godly wife. She really does fill those areas that are weak in my life. I can't wait to see what else God has planned for our lives.

Keepin' it Real,

Bryan

Update of sorts

Hey gang! Just figured Ibetter do a little update to keep all 15 of you on the edge of your seat about what is going on in the life and times of the Bholda. This past weekend Crystal and I participated in a yard sale with Sammy(www.sammyclary.com) and I have to say it must have been the hottest day of the entire year!!! seriously, it was a SCORCHER!!! We made a little money but got rid of a good bit of junk, so all in all it was a good day. Sunday was good at Marathon, Eddie(www.eddiecox.org) is back and has started a new series called God Questions. After church we went to Chuck E. Cheese with Crystal's twin cousins for their 10th birthday. I must admit I stepped back in time a little bit and played a few of the games. I was a little rusty on the skee ball, but owned the air hockey table!!! Yesterday me, Kip, and Sammy played at Cross Winds par 3 and much to my chagrin (i like that word, it sounds funny) I was defeated by both Sammy and Kip, however, I did spot Sammy 5 strokes, so in reality I beat him by 2 shots. He is scared to play me straight up!! (just for the record) He will take that as a direct challenge, and want to play me again, so I will be blogging about that outing in the near future I'm sure.
I hope this update of sorts has quenched everyone's desire to peek into my world, if only for a brief moment-yeah right! I'm not that important!! :)

Keepin' it real,
Bryan

Interns Anyone?

This week has been pretty rough on me because a co-worker and more importantly a really close friend of mine is stepping out to pursue God's plan for his life. Chasen Callahan (chasenmusic.com) who has been the Associate Worship Pastor and my Youth Worship & Media Pastor is going on tour with his band in a couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, I am pumped that God has opened this door for him and the other guys, but I am going to miss him big time. He edited videos, created graphics and designed t-shirts among a thousand other things, so his talents in those areas are gonna be missed! I know Chasen is going to reach tons of people through his music and ministry. So, here is a shout-out to Chasen, you guys change the world for Christ!!!
Well, with all that being said, I am in need of some help. This fall, I will be looking for college-aged interns to do media stuff, graphics, and event planning. I hope to have about 3 or 4 college students to fill these positions, so if you are reading this and you(or someone you know) may be interested you can shoot me an e-mail at bryanholder@marathonlive.org and I can give you more details. I am excited about the direction our student ministry is going with this because it allows me to pour into people that have a calling into ministry, which is what i love to do.

Keepin' it Real,

Bryan

An Amazing Week...

We got back this past Saturday from Memphis on our mission trip, and it was life-changing to say the least!! Our students experienced some things they have never encountered before and they are different now (in a good way!!) We averaged around 50 kids, any where from 4-14 years old in our Bible Club. We would spend about 3 hours a day with the kids teaching them Bible stories, doing crafts, playing games and teaching them songs. We were working in a very poverty stricken area of Memphis, so it was not unusual to see the kids wearing the same thing all week. The city would actually bring lunch in for the kids on a big truck. It was eye-opening to know that for some of those kids that may be there only meal that day. And we complain about not having a certain restaurant within 10 miles of our house! What a shame!! Our students really poured themselves out this past week and became the hands and feet of Jesus, I am so proud of them!! There are so many stories to tell, but i really don't have time to tell them all and i'm not a fast typer(if that is a word?) I have included a few pictures for everyone to enjoy.

****In other news, my good buddy Sammy Clary just announced his plans to start a church! I am very excited for him and I know God is going to use him to reach the community. Here is the link if you want more info: http://stone-bridgechurch.blogspot.com/

Keepin' it real,
Bryan

Gettin' Ready To See Elvis

Ok, not really. But i am getting ready to go to Memphis on our student ministry mission trip. I will be computer-less for the most part the whole week, so i doubt there will be any updating. Not that i update that regularly anyway. I am looking forward to what God is going to do. Our students have prepared and are ready to attack inner-city Memphis for Christ. I found out yesterday that we should have around 70 children at our mission site, so i am PUMPED!! Please pray for our safety as we travel and also for lives to be changed. This is gonna be awesome and i can't wait to share with the blogging world what God did when we get back.
Oh, and yes, there will be large amounts of Bar-B-Cue consumed!!!

Keepin' It Real,

Bryan

Long Time, No Update!

MAN!! This summer has been WIDE OPEN!!! We have been to Surge and saw God do some incredible things, one being me Bungee Jumping!!! I didn't even have to change my underwear either!!! SO it was an accomplishment on more than one level. We started doing a new thing this summer called AOL, which stands for AMP'd on location. We basically just do different things on Wednesday nights as opposed to doing a regular service. So far we have had the Ultimate Food Fight, a night at Frankie's Fun Park and tomorrow night we are having H2O night, which will be a night full of water games, water balloon wars, (2) 1oo ft slip-n-slides and lots more. Oh, and don't worry, there will be a Bible study before the colossal H2O battle begins.
This Sunday myself, Crystal, Kip (our executive pastor), and his wife Tracy, along with 14 students leave for Memphis to do REACH. REACH is our summer mission trip to inner-city Memphis. Our students will be leading Bible clubs in the community in the mornings and then doing service type projects in the afternoon. I am STOKED about this trip! The students have prepared, prayed, studied, and fasted to get ready for this trip!! I can't wait to see what God has in store for us in Memphis. Please be in prayer for our safety, salvations, and changed lives during this trip. Well, I think that's about all I've got to say until next time, and by next time I mean whenever I have something to post about. =)

Keepin' it real(just not that often),
Bryan

Surge '07

WOW!!!! What an amazing week! God showed up in a huge way this week and did what only He can do, change lives!!! We had several salvations and I had the honor of baptizing over 20 students in the ocean. Sammy (www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) did a great job bringing the Word and challenging our students and adults. He was also the mastermind behind our challenges, which I heard many students say were their favorite so far. I would highly recommend getting Sammy for your next big event as a speaker. The youth band did a sweet job as always and I am so proud of them and how they live their lives as an act of worship to Christ! You guys ROCK!!!
We had an incredible service on Wednesday night with the students as we observed the Lord's Supper. It was a moment I plan on never forgetting. Just to see students on their faces worshiping God and getting things right with Him is all worth it. I must say we have the most incredible group of students on the planet!! I love each and everyone of them so much. It is an honor to be their Pastor. Props to all my volunteers and all the hard work you put into Surge. You are priceless and you ARE making a difference in the lives of our students!! I hope to post more this week about Surge and how awesome our God is!!

Keepin it Real,
Bryan

Ultimate Food Fight!!

Last night at AMP'd we engaged in a battle; a battle of skill, speed, strategy, and sheer nastiness!! We had our first ever Ultimate Food Fight and it was a blast!! We loaded up 30 gallon trashcans with a mixture of water and "chum" (for lack of a better word) which honestly, was probably to nasty for sharks to eat!! We divided our students into 2 teams and had the trashcans placed throughout the playing field where they would load up ziplock bags and hurl (pun intended) them at each other. It was played in a capture the flag type format and it was great. At the end, we had a 1 minute free-for-all which was, to say the least, delicious. We had over 100 students participate and a ton of spectators. Props to Sammy(www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) for helping a brotha out pulling this event off. It was a great event, and the kids all loved it!!
Now our attention is fully focused on Surge, which is our summer camp. I am expecting God to show up in a major way, like He has for the last 2 years!! It's busy and crazy, but well worth it!!!

Keepin' It Real,
Bryan

Gearing Up

I'm really looking forward to this Sunday at Marathon. I will be speaking at all 3 services on Sunday morning, which should be a blast. Myself and Sammy are doing a 2 week series called "Life on a Limb", which will challenge people to step out in faith and follow God no matter what. Sammy will be bringing the message on the 27th and will look at Matthew 25:14-30, and I will be looking at Luke 5:1-11 this week. It should be an awesome series, we've got some crazy illustrations and videos planned so I'm pretty pumped. If you wanna watch the services, you can check them out at www.marathonchurch.org, they should be posted on there by Tuesday or so. Hope you have a great weekend!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

I'm Blog Lazy-Sorry

Well, it's been about a week since my last post. I've come to a conclusion of sorts, either I just don't have a life and can't think of anything to say, or I'm just blog lazy. I like to think it is the latter, blog lazy. So, with that being said, I'm going to hit ya with some info about what's been going on the last couple of days.
I rode go-karts over at the Clary Speedway(www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) on Saturday night, and I must say, I'm getting a little more daring and aggressive, but have yet to find that elusive 1st victory. On Sunday, Crystal and I ate lunch with my family for Mother's Day, and later that evening went to her Grandma's for dinner. Needless to say, I was stuffed all day and LOVED it!! So that brings us to this week. I've been getting ready for our 3 week series called "Cruise Control" at AMP'd. I'm pumped about this summer and some of the crazy, out-of-the-box stuff we are going to be doing. I will hopefully write something again in the near future, until then, keep it real!!

Keepin it real,
Bryan

You Runned Over My Brother's Car!!!

So me and Crystal (my wife) decided to whip into this subdivision a little while ago to check out a house for sale. We pulled into the cul-de-sac and there were 3 little kids playing and riding their bikes so i was trying to pay attention to them and ended up running over a small tonka truck that was in the middle to the cul-de-sac (i like saying that word!). Well, one of the little boys started crying and saying "you runned over my brother's car!!" and i was all like, "ah shut it, life is not fair, get over it kid!" Ok, not really, i was like "oh i'm so sorry i didn't mean to buddy" He then proceeded to pick up the pieces and throw them in the grass, while still crying. I ran and got a flyer about the house and jumped into my truck and got the heck out of dodge!! Needless to say, we won't be purchasing that house, because the neighbors would hate us, and consider us tonka truck killers!! Make sure your kids pick their toys up out of the cul-de-sac, especially if you're trying to sale your house.

Killing tonka trucks in a subdivision near you,
Bryan

That dreaded knock on the door

So me and Crystal stopped in Chattanooga TN and spent the night at the Hilton Garden Inn. We are on our way home from Memphis where we had a pre-project meeting about the mission trip we are bringing students to this summer. I think it's about a 9 hour drive from Memphis to home and I'm not a long distance driver, so we stopped about half way and so here we are. Well, we got in off the road, brought our stuff to the room and headed out to the riverfront area here in Chattanooga(it's beautiful by the way). We walked around a little bit, took pictures then decided to grab dinner. I think it was about 7:00 when we went to TGI Fridays. Stay with me, there is a point. After dinner we headed back to the room. Well, i got in there and i had to um...well, go to the potty if you will. I took care of business and much to my dismay, i flushed the toilet and what happened next is going to haunt me for a long time. The toilet was clogged!!! Now, this is a Hilton, which means they don't leave plungers sitting next to the toilet. I had to make the embrassing phone call to the front desk and ask for a plunger. So, while i was waiting on delivery, i devised a plan to go down to the hot tub and let Crystal deal with the plunger incident, which quickly got vetoed immediately by her. So, finally after about 10 minutes the dreaded knock on the door was heard. It was hotel maintainance. It was something i have never seen before, the plunger was wrapped in a plastic Hilton bag. I accepted the tool of shame and then the guy said "I can wait for you to finish if you want me to" This somewhat took me off guard, and i hesitated briefly to figure out what to say. Finally i agreed and shut the door and took care of the problem at hand. If it were up to me, he could have just dropped it outside the door and left, that way i would not have had to even show my face!! Well, about 5 minutes later(don't you judge me, it was a toughy!!) i opened the door and handed him the weapon. The maintainance man never looked me in the face, i felt like i had done the most shameful thing you could do at a Hilton, stop up the toilet!! All is well now and we are about to checkout and head on home. I would like to thank the Hilton family for making the whole "i need a plunger in room 405" the most shameful thing possible!! :) I think i may invent a collapseable, mini plunger to fit in your suitcase....well, maybe not, that's pretty nasty!!!

Keepin it real (too real in this post),

Bryan

Amazing Race Weekend

I had the privilege of speaking at a youth event at Fellowship Community Church in Liberty on Friday and Saturday Night. Sammy Clary (www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) was supposed to be the keynote speaker but he had to head up to Cincy and wasn't able to make it so he asked me to take his place and speak, which I am forever grateful!! The theme for the weekend was the Amazing Race and I've got to give props to Sam Totman and his team for putting together a sweet race for his students! It was refreshing to see adults getting involved and helping out the student ministry for this event. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go along with everyone on Saturday for the actual race, but Sam and some others were telling me about and it sounded awesome!! They went all over the Upstate, literally!! They went to Ceasar's Head, Furman University, The Greenville Drive Stadium, Downtown G'ville, plus tons of other places. It sounded like the kids had a blast!!
But that's not the coolest thing about the weekend. The winning team won 3 brand new PSP's, which is a pretty sweet prize, but here's the kicker. The winning team didn't go to Fellowship, they were at the event with their youth pastor, Phillip Jewell who was leading worship. They decided to give the PSP's to the second place team because of the Christian testimony that team had shown to them and everyone else during the race!! How AWESOME is that?!!!! Oh yeah, there's more!! The second place team decided that they would E-Bay the PSP's and give the money to a ministry there at Fellowship that helps little kids!! I gotta say that's what it's all about, GIVE, GIVE, GIVE!! not TAKE, TAKE, TAKE!!
It truly was a great event, and everyone at Fellowship Community Church should be very proud of the youth staff, students and volunteers that participated!! GREAT JOB GUYS!!!

That's all for now,
Bryan

The Walls Are Going Up!!!

It's finally happening!! The exterior walls to our student building, "The Garage" are finally going up. We had some trouble with the last crew, so it set us back awhile, but now we are back on track!! I can't wait to get into our building! It's gonna be such an awesome tool we will have to reach students in our community. It's not about buildings, but it is about using what resources we can to reach more students and that is my vision!! REACH STUDENTS WHO NEED CHRIST!! Please pray for the progress of "The Garage"!!

K.I.R.
Bryan

Oh what a night!!!

Last night rocked at Marathon (www.marathonchurch.org)!! We celebrated our 10 year anniversary with an awesome praise night, followed by some sweet fireworks. There was a hilarious video showing old pictures of when we started and I must say Eddie has changed a lot, thank goodness. He had a really cheesy mustache(kinda like that dude on the box of Just For Men hair dye) It was bad, real bad!!!
But on a brighter note, in the 10 years of our existence, we have had over 2000 salvations, and that's just the ones we know of!! God is so awesome, and all the honor and glory goes to Him! It is really a dream come true for me to be working here at Marathon, i couldn't ask for a better place to serve God and reach people (well, except maybe Hawaii! just kiddin') I can't wait to see what the next 10 years hold for us here at Marathon, i know that it is gonna be even more exciting than the first 10!!
I couldn't finish this post without giving a big thank you to Eddie, Lynn, Bryan, and Brenda for being obedient to the calling God placed on their lives 10 years ago to step out and start a church that sought after lost people, not church people!! God has honored their obedience and Marathon will CONTINUE to reach lost and hurting people in our community!! It's hard to believe that all this is happening in a cow pasture in Powdersville, SC!!!

K.I.R.

Bryan

A Wonderful Easter

This past weekend at Marathon was great! We saw over 4000 people attend our 4 Easter services! I can't wait to hear the number of salvations from this weekend. It is amazing what God is doing in a cow pasture(no joke) in the middle of Powdersville, SC!! I know souls were saved, marriages restored, relationships strengthened, and lives changed. It's really hard to believe that 10 years ago this weekend Marathon started!! I praise God that Eddie and Lynn and Bryan and Brenda were obedient to God's calling on their lives and they stepped out in faith, despite the critics(and there were tons, and still are!!) and started Marathon with just a small singles group. We will be having our 10 year anniversary celebration this Sunday night and I believe there is talk of a DVD being made of it, so that should be off the chain!!! Well, that's about it for now, I'll try to post a little somin'-somin later this week.

K.I.R.,
Bryan

1st Wednesday Night

We have our 1st Wednesday night service here at Marathon tonight. I am really excited about it because we are observing the Lord's Supper, which is always a powerful service for our church. This week has been really busy trying to get things wrapped up for our 4 Easter services (5:00 pm on Sat., 9:00 am,10:15am,11:30 am on Sunday). It is going to be an incredible weekend, and I know God is going to save a lot of lives!!! We have a few surprises as well, so it should be a really awesome time!! I encourage you to take some time and really think about what Easter really means to you!! Hint: It's more than peeps and cadbury eggs!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

To feeling like a kid again and not playing it safe..

Man, Sunday nights are so cool. That is when me and Crystal and 3 other couples get together for our small group Bible study/hang-out time. Last night was a blast!! We raced go karts for a couple of hours and then ate a little grub (not the bug!, it's slang for food) and had a great challenge from Sammy (www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) to live our lives out on a limb for Christ. If you look at all the people in the Bible God used, every one of them was off the chart on the faith meter! They went way out on a limb and trusted God. This is truly how I want to live my life, with reckless abandon for my Savior!! I don't want to be a "play it safe" Christian anymore. God has called me (and you) to so much more than that. Jesus came to give us life yes, but not just any life, but an abundant life!! John 10:10 **Holder's translation :) **
Sunday nights are an awesome time for all of to recharge and refocus and also feel like a kid again. As far as the go kart races, i finished dead last and have now been coined Bryan "driving miss daisy" Holder. Hopefully in the weeks to come i can restore my reputation to at least "Herbie the love bug" status.

K.I.R.,
Bryan

Wednesday Nights

I absolutely love Wednesdays!! It's just so awesome to see so many students come out and worship God on a Wednesday night. I quickly realized what an honor and privilege it is to have the kind of opportunity God has given us here at Marathon to reach people. I have to take a moment to thank all of my volunteers that come out every Wednesday night to pour their lives into students. I was a volunteer for 2 1/2 years here at Marathon, so I know it can be tough sometimes to leave work and come straight to church and give yourself away for 2-2 1/2 hours! I am really blessed to have such AWESOME volunteers. And yes, we CAN USE MORE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!!!! We will be starting our new series called "Sucker Free" on April 11th, which deals with making wise decisions and the right choices in life, it should prove to be pretty interesting! Props to Sammy for helping me brainstorm that one!! Genius!!!
Well, here is the set list from last night:

Deeper-Delirious
Salvation is here-Hillsong United
Rain Down-Delirious
Revolution-Hillsong United

I gotta give a shout out to the band(www.myspace.com/marathonyouthband) and Stevo (www.virb.com/stevo) who led all the songs last night, you go boy!!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

Good times, Good times!

This weekend was great all the way around! Me, Sammy and Scott got together on Saturday and went to Uncle Carl's pond up yonder in Six Mile or Liberty or something like that. We probably caught us about 20 of them there largemouth basses (sorry, for some reason i feel as if i need to speak with a really redneck dialect) A good time was had by all, and Sammy actually had a record day of fishing, which he discussed in his blog (www.sammyclary.blogspot.com). Plus i learned that Sammy is highly allergic to wasps(i personally think he is just afraid of getting stung, and says he is allegeric!), so i had a great time sneaking up behind him and brushing his leg with my fishing rod, making him think it was a wasp!! He is quite a good dancer, when it comes to wasps being around!! Sorry Sammy!!! :(
I'll quit picking on Sammy and give him some props now. He spoke on Sunday at all 3 services here at Marathon. The entire service was a homerun, from his message, to the video, and the music, it was all really awesome! God changed lives yesterday and He used Sammy to do it!! How cool is that. After church i got to go over to Outback for the fund raiser luncheon for my main man Isaac. It was so cool seeing so many people come out and give of themselves and show their support for Isaac. He is truly an inspiration to so many, including me!! After that, i headed back to mi casa in Williamston, caught a quick nap then headed to Sammy and Melissa's for a little home group action. I never thought we could have so much fun throwing huge sparklers at each other, but we did!! After grabbing a little grub, we had our Bible study from the book of James, which was awesome. It really challenged me to not be a "consumer Christian", meaning everything is about me, but how we need to exercise our faith through reaching out and helping others. It was a great reminder. Thanks Sammy for the challenge.
It was a great weekend, and good times were had by all. Now it's time to hit the ground running and enjoy what God is going to do this week!!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

The "Best Sex Ever" is over

Last night at AMP'd was awesome. It was the last message in our series "Best Sex Ever". We talked about how God wants us to leave our past behind and move forward in His love and forgiveness. Here are the points and the set list from last night:

Message Title: From messing up to moving on

1. Get completely honest-Psalm 51:1-3
2. Change your direction Psalm 51:10
3. Remind yourself of who you are 1 Corinthians 6:20a, Colossians 3:12
4. Share your story Psalm 51:12-13

Set list:
Take it all-Hillsong United
The time has come-Hillsong United
Every little thing-Hawk Nelson
Dare you to move-Switchfoot

Our sex series has been great and we have seen God move in the lives of our students. I can't wait to see what else He has in store for our ministry this year. We will be starting our new series in a couple of weeks called "Suckerfree" (thanks Sammy!). So if you are a teenager and you are reading this, you should come out and check out AMP'd at Marathon Church on Wednesday nights at 7:07!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

A New Experience

Is what I had on Saturday, and I must say it was great!! It started at about 8:00 AM when I jumped in Sammy's Jeep with just a bikini top on! Ok, let me clarify, the Jeep had a bikini top on! Me and Sammy (www.sammyclary.blogspot.com) were dressed like we were going to trek across the frozen tundra in Alaska or something. We were going to Atlanta to pick up a hard top Sammy bought for the previously mentioned Jeep, but the problem was we only had a bikini top to put on while we drove to Atlanta. IT WAS FREEZING!!! So, about 2 hours and a mild case of hypothermia later we arrived in Atlanta and put the hard top on. I have never been so happy to help put a hard top on a Jeep let me tell ya. After that, we headed full speed to Atlanta Motor Speedway!! That's right, we went to a Nascar Busch Series race. My first ever and I must say I was not disappointed! It was a blast for real. The cars were obviously incredible, but not as incredible as the patrons that were there. I have never seen so many rednecks in one place, at least not in person. It was crazy watching people point and scream at their favorite driver as they sped by at 180+ MPH. The sad part is that these people really thought the drivers KNEW they were pointing and cheering them on, it was great. Then there was all the free give-aways like Goody's Orange headache powder, Grizzly smokeless tobacco(i passed on that one, I promise!), and Tums, which always comes in handy at the racetrack for sure.
So I have to give a big 'ol Dale Jr. thank you to my buddy Sammy for making my Saturday one I will not soon forget, as a matter of fact, I will probably never forget it, it was something else!!

****See Sammy's blog for a picture of an authentic green mullet!!!****

K.I.R.,
Bryan

Last Night Was Awesome!!

God still amazes me how He shows up at AMP'd, which is our Wednesday night service for students here at Marathon. We have been in our series called the "Best Sex Ever" and it has been awesome and lives have been changed. I have included the set list and message points from the service below.

What the world-Hillsong United
No one like you-David Crowder Band
Where the love last forever-Hillsong United
Amateur Lovers-Switchfoot

I have been reminding the students that God created sex (yea God!!) and He is all for it, but He has put a major guideline on it. It is designed to be enjoyed in the context of 1 man and 1 woman in the context of marriage. So, i gave them 3 things they need to do to help them follow God's plan for their sex lives:

1. Ask the right questions. So many teenagers are asking the wrong questions when it comes to sex. The main question they ask is "how far is to far?" This is not the right question,
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says we are to flee from ALL sexual sin and stay pure and holy. The right question they should ask is "how can i be self-controlled?"

2. Set some boundaries. We have boundaries in just about everything we do, from driving a car to playing sports. Boundaries are all around us, but for some reason, teenagers are quick to avoid boundaries when it comes to their sexual decisions. I gave them 3 very practical boundaries they could set:

• Keep the lights on!!
• Keep your clothes on!!
• Stay upright!!

3. Find some accountability. This is huge for every one of us, not just teenagers! We all need someone in our lives to help hold us accountable. That person should have the same beliefs as you, be someone you trust, and someone that will be honest with you (even if it hurts!!)

My prayer is that students realize that God wants them to have the best sex ever, which WILL happen if they follow His plan, and only His plan. Please pray for all teenagers, they are in such a battle and satan wants to destroy and ruin their lives. Someone has got to step up and show them the Truth. I am committed to be that someone!!! Are you?

K.I.R.,
Bryan

A Great Weekend!

This past weekend was awesome at Marathon. We kicked off our "How to save a life" series/campaign and had t-shirts, stickers, and invite cards for our people to give out to folks they know that need to accept Christ. We are reminding our people that they are the bridges God uses to get His truth out. We will be in this series until Easter, so I am pumped to see how many lives God is going to change!! We have a big surprise for Marathon on Sunday, so if you read my blog and go to Marathon, make sure you are there because it's going to be powerful!!! Sunday afternoon we had a baptism service over at Powdersville First (big props to them for letting us use their facility!!). We baptized 23 people, and out of those I had the privilege of baptizing 4 of my students!! That has to me one of my favorite services we do at Marathon, it is just incredible to see people's reaction and joy as a result of following Christ and being obedient to His call to baptism. We are truly a blessed church and are carrying out our calling to reach people in the surrounding communities. God is so AWESOME!!! Tomorrow night we jump back into our sex series called "The Best Sex Ever", so I am pumped and ready to go. Please pray that our students will follow God's plan for their lives, especially their sexual decisions!!

K.I.R.,

Bryan

Just Cause You Asked...

Here is a survey that was passed to me from my good buddy Sammy(www.sammyclary.com). Hope you enjoy! There is some really personal info in there!

1. What time is it? 11:02 am
2. What is your full name? Bryan Edward Holder
3. What are you most afraid of? Waitresses at Waffle House
4. What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a theater? I can’t remember
5. Have you ever seen a ghost? Nah
7. Ever been to Alaska? No
8. Ever been toilet papering? Is the Pope Catholic? I’m a Youth Pastor for cryin’ outloud
9. Loved someone so much it made you cry? yes
10. Been in a serious car accident? Yes, I fell out of my Camaro reaching down to get a newspaper. My Camaro then proceeded to speed down the driveway and crash into my dad’s classic Camaro!
11 Do you plan to have any more Children? Any More? I ain’t got none yet!!
12. Favorite day of the week? Friday, it’s my day off
15. Favorite color ? Blue
16. Favorite sport to watch? College B-ball, and golf
17. Favorite Drink? Sweet Tea, is there anything else?
18. Favorite Ice Cream? Anything with chocolate, but not cherries
19. Favorite fast food restaurant? Zaxby's
20. What color is your bedroom carpet? Hardwood floor
21. How many times did you fail your driver's test? once
22. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? Probably spam
23. What do you do when you are bored? Unfortunately, eat
25. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest? Chasen
26. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? Jamie
27. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their answers? Crystal
28. Favorite TV shows? Hell’s Kitchen, Deadliest Catch
29. Favorite Car? My truck, cause it’s paid for!!!
30. What are you listening to right now? TobyMac, RHCP, David Crowder Band
31. How many pets do you have? 1 dog
32. Which came first the chicken or the egg? Chicken
33. What would you like to accomplish before you die? Reach more teenagers
34. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? Not sure
35. Most embarrassing moment ever? I sharted in front of Jamie and Chasen-I was on medicine and couldn’t help it—Don’t judge me!
36. Top 3 happiest moments ever: 1.)Marrying Crystal. 2). Graduating College 3) 1^st day on staff at Marathon

37. Top 3 saddest moments ever: 1). Rather not talk about that
38.). Hardest you have ever laughed: When the guys at home group started lighting their farts three weeks ago. My head hurt so bad from laughing
39.) One talent you wished you had: I wish I could eat anything and not gain weight. I need Weight Watchers according to my buddy Isaac…JUST KIDDIN’
40.). One thing you would have liked to do for a living other than what you do now: Door to Door vacuum salesman. Nah, I can’t imagine doing anything


I'm passing this on to Jamie, Wil, Chasen, Sean and Crystal

K.I.R.
Bryan