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