New Era!!

We just got back from camp!!! It was amazing! If you were there, you know that already. I was "Dreaming Big" going into camp. Praying that God would do something extraordinary in our young people. Little did I know that he also had something big planned for me. I had the opportunity to meet and develop some pretty cool relationships with other youth pastors and youth leaders while at camp. I have come to the conclusion, much like I usually do when surrounded by other youth leaders, that I have a lot to learn!! :-) Now, I am not saying that I think I have been doing a horrible job by any means but being around guys like Carlos Ortiz, Kyle Embry, and Jacob Jester just kind of puts things into perspective. Those guys are like youth ministry gurus!! I learned from Carlos that you really have be yourself and make your ministry your own. I learned from Kyle that sometimes you have to stop talking and JUST DO IT, and watching and listening to Jacob, I realized that I have a long way to go as a speaker and a communicator. Man that guy is GOOD!!!
This is me being transparent. I am sure a lot of youth pastors would never blog about all of the areas they need help in, but I believe that if I don't realize my shortcomings, I will never grow. No one is going to come up to me once every couple of months and tell me all of the areas that i need improvement. (unless it is an angry parent)! Anyways, my point is, you don't have to be a teenager to have your life changed at youth camp. You just have to be open to what Dreams God has for you!!