Late Nite at the Varsity

Wow!!! What an incredible opportunity we had at the Varsity Theater last night. For those of you who don't know what the Varsity is, it is the most popular bar on the campus of LSU. So many hours of prayer, planning, and sweat equity went in to making last night's event a huge success. From the minute the doors opened, there was a "buzz" in the place--I knew we were exactly where God wanted us to be. The place was teeming with excitement, curiosity, and anticipation...we were on the verge of something big. The Late Nite band gave us an over-the-top worship experience, as 600 college students and young adults crowded together.

The atmosphere was electric--Jesus was in the house and the possibilites were endless. I think some people walked into the theater and were totally surprised. It was culture shock for some. In an environment where a lot of ungodly things can take place, we were standing on holy ground! We talked about knowing who we are and what we were created for. We challenged people to find meaning in life by going to the Source of life. The night culminated in 12 people raising their hands to receive Christ for the first time!!! What a huge win for the kingdom of God!

Late Nite at the Varsity was not about production, presentation, how good we play music, how cool our stage looks, or how talented we are. The value of the night was measured in the lives of 12 people who crossed the line of faith! Ten years ago, when just a handful of teenagers were meeting in an unfinished studio, trying to determine a cool name for a youth group, none of us could have ever dreamed then, what we are able to experience now!!!

God is still writing the story...I'm gald we get to be included!!!

FCA Retreat

This past weekend I traveled to Shreveport, LA to speak at a retreat for 140 college athletes. I journeyed by myself, so I had an 8-hour round-trip with just Jesus and me in my Honda! Very, very cool. It was church on wheels--I call it "the I-49 moving revival" because we were all in one Accord! I was fully equipped with teaching tapes, worship CD's, and enough beef jerky to make any Texan proud. Teaching, preaching, worship, and beef jerky--sounds like the chemistry for a move of God to me! I had no idea how cold it could get in north Louisiana...it felt like I had been dropped off at the North Pole.

We had some great meetings and powerful times of ministry every night. What a joy it is to train and equip this age group. College students and young adults are in a very crucial stage of life--they are making life-impacting decisions that will influence their future husbands, wives, children, and careers for generations to come. We had break-out sessions, dividing the guys from the girls, and discussed some "front-burner" issues like purity, temptation, pornography, and accountability.

I also had the privilege of meeting some incredible people. I was introduced to one of the coaches involved in the weekend. When he said his name was Pat Tilly, I knew immediately who he was. As a child growing up in southeast Missouri, I used to always watch the St. Louis Cardinal football team every Sunday after church. Pat was a gutsy, hard-nose, tenacious wide receiver for the Cardinals during the 80's...I was reconnecting with my childhood!!

One of the coolest guys at the conference was a tall, skinny fellow that looked just like JJ off of the TV show "Good Times." In his own words, he was nothing but "knee-caps and an afro," and his name was Hollis Conway. This guy was instant fun and full of incredible insight, as he shared his story from Lafayette, LA to the high-jump hall of fame. Dawning 2 olympic medals and too many awards to count, this guy challenged us to pursue excellence in spite of adversity. On top of that, I have to admit that he beat me in a game of 21...he used his trampoline-like jumping skills to pick pennies off the top of the backboard!

I have to give a shout-out to Fellowship of Christian Athletes director, Andy Stroup...the heart and soul of the entire weekend. I am amazed at his passion and grateful for his friendship!! You're the man, Stroup-doggy-dog!

Old School

When I say, "Old School," immediately different thoughts and images roll through my mind. I think of the "Welcome Back Kotter" days with the butterfly collars, bell-bottoms, feathered bangs, and disco music. Others may think of tight-roll jeans, bow-heads, teased bangs, and major hair spray. We have been going "Old School" in Late Nite the past three weeks and we have had a lot of fun taking a look at the past and extracting valuable lessons from the Old Testament. When it is not valued and not learned from, history has a unique way of repeating itself. Sometimes, it helps to take a look backward and understand where we came from before we can move forward in God. In our first week, we saw how the Israelites went in circles for forty years because they forgot the goodness of God. Our second week focused on the story of Ruth and our instinctive need for community. Last week we examined the prophet Hosea and learned about God's extraordinary love for us. We described God's love in 4 ways: 1) It takes initiative--God doesn't drag His feet when it comes to our need. He took the first step toward us by going to the Cross. 2) It is sacrificial--He became everything we were, so that one day we could become all that He is. 3) It is knowledgeable--It's amazing that the God who knows the worst about us still believes the best in us! 4) His love is stubborn--I'm so thankful that the stubborn love of God would not let me go. When I was motivated only by selfishness and running the opposite direction, His stubborn love chased me down! We will finish out this "Old School" series on Wednesday night and then make preparations to take the Late Nite experience to the Varsity Theater the next week on the campus of LSU! We're living in exciting times and believing God for an incredible harvest of souls this spring semester!! Rock on and keep it Old School!