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

My Apologies!

To everyone for that last post. It appears that halfway through my post, i started having a severe case of the concerns for those that may be visually impaired. The last half of the post is HUGE!!! This was not done on purpose, i was simply trying to make one word huge and the whole stinkin' thing ended up that way. Upon several attempts of trying to fix it, i finally got sick of trying, so i posted it as is. Again, this was not intentional, even though it looks like i was trying to really emphasize the last half of the blog. It was simply technical difficulties. But, look on the brightside, if there are any visually impaired folks, at least they got to read half my blog!!!

K.I.R.,
Bryan

The most incredible place on earth!

If you are from around here you know i must be talking about the Anderson Jockey Lot!! If you're not from here, drop everything and take a weekend and come check it out!!! It is open on Saturday and Sunday and it is truly amazing. The diversity of people that are there is unmatched anywhere on the planet. There are so many races and ethnic groups all coexisting in one area, without hatred or million man marches, or those white outfits with hoods. What can bring all this harmony and utter bliss? One thing and one thing only:JUNK!!!!!!!!!! That's right, everyone there is there to look and buy other people's junk. It is mind boggling the amount of pure, unadulterated, junk there is at the Anderson Jockey Lot. But the Jockey Lot has much more to offer than the best junk around. It offers those of us that like to watch people a plethora of fine specimens to gaze upon. If you are ever feeling really bad about yourself or your life, just carve a couple of hours out of your schedule and visit the Jockey Lot. You will quickly be reminded that there are people much worse off than you and i! I promise!! It's just hard to find such places like "Chicken and Bun", "Barbara's trash and treasure", "Gene's used oil pans", and "Slick Rick's cell phone accessory barn". The Jockey Lot would have to be a dentists' worst nightmare. The average amount of teeth at the Jockey Lot on any given weekend would probably be about 11 teeth per person. So, i guess the sad part about this post is that for a couple of hours this past Saturday, i would have been counted in those stats, but hey, the boiled peanuts there are worth it!!!!!

K.I.R(Keepin' It Real),
Bryan

The Best Sex Ever!

Don't panic!!! It's not what you think, it's the name of our current series we are doing at AMP'd. We have had an awesome turnout and response from our students, which is to be expected because we are talking about sex. But God is doing an awesome work within our students through this series. The week before we started the series i gave our high school students a survey to fill out about sex. I was shocked to find out that 22% of the students had marked that they have had premarital sex! I know at first you may think that 22% isn't too bad, after all, it's well below the national average, but the truth of the matter is 22% is 22% too high! My heart breaks to hear stories from students about how they have made poor decisions and relationships and lives are being destroyed. The main point of this whole series is to show students that God created sex, and He has a perfect plan for sex, and that plan is for one woman and one man in the context of marriage. God really does want His children to have the best sex ever!!! and the way that happens is to follow His plan! If you are reading this blog and feel compelled, please be in prayer for us during this series, it is crucial that our students know what the truth is!!

Keepin' it real,
Bryan