I know it has been quite some time since my last post, but it has been real crazy in these closing few weeks on tour. I am now in Cleveland, Tennessee for the second week of conferences here. Last was a really fun week. Two major things are first of all the incredible connection I had made with this one youth group from Florida. I am the head of the Welcoming committee, which
welcomes all of the churches as they arrive on location. We hop in their van/bus and pray for them, and chill with them, and take them outside to play stupid games, it's awesome. Any who, I met this one youth group, Harbor Side Church from Florida. I ended up really hitting it off with a bunch of kids from their youth group (pictured left). Throughout the week I ended up doing security on their hall, which means I got to go and hang out with them at the end of every night. I will always remember these guys. They were genuine guys, who were really searching for their identity in Christ. It was heartbreaking to watch them find it throughout the week. Another thing that happened throughout the week was some K-9 intruders in the night. While all of the kids were out at Youth group time after celebration, there had been two loose pit bulls that came loose on our campus. They ended up biting two students, then getting punched in the face by a youth pastor. Of course dozens of cops show up with guns drawn screaming for kids to get into the buildings. Of course they thought what I had originally thought, "oh crap, someone is shooting up the campus." But luckily it was only dogs. So the police of Cleveland, Tennessee who very obviously had nothing better to do began terrorizing our campus for over an hour before shooting one of the dogs. You can imagine after hearing a gunshot on campus that many of the kids were scared to death, let me just tell you that was a long night of security. I finally got to bed at 2am. At the end of the week I also got to go to this Beautiful waterfall n
ear North Carolina, and just catch up and get ready for this next week. So on to this week... the whole feel of this week has been completely different. It's really weird knowing this is the last time I am going to be doing all of this. To top it off, this is also our biggest crowed packing the gym at just under 1600 teens. I can't help but feel whats is going on in the room. I can't help but have my heart broken hundreds of times a week. I can't help but listen to the cries of high school kids and ignore them. Take tonight for example... It was the night where the students wrote their hurts out on these giant clear walls, that went together to make a isolation chamber that two ladies will sit in all night and pray for. I feel so much pain every time I read them. I don't know how you can't. Just an example of some of the stuff on the wall... "Kidnapped and raped, 02/03/2004; molestation; broken home; my family hates me; I want to end it all, please
someone stop me; no one knows I exist; I'm tired of being... alone... " All you can do is place your hand there, and pray for them, and feel for them. Then worship starts up. The band screams out, "so come home running, His arms are open wide". I look around. I see hundreds of kids in absolute tears, which groups of people all around them with a hand on their shoulders. I see that every night, I feel that every night. Sometimes you just don't know what to do with that. The incredible thing is , come Friday, the mood changes, and then it all comes together. On Friday they sing "shout Unto God" And if you know the song, then you know what I am talking about. The lyrics say "the enemies been defeated, death couldn't hold you down, we're gonna life out voice in victory, we're gonna make our praises loud". All of the kids have their fist in the air. They're fired up. They're mad at what Satan has done to their homes; done to their families; done to their youth group; done to their friendships; done to their lives... done to them... With a final roar, one of the band members screams at the top of his lungs, and the kids just go insane for Christ. I see this happen... every... single... Friday... And it will never change the impact of it, no matter how many times I see it. But what does this do to my life, what does that do to me. What Am I going to take home from all of this. I guess When you are surrounded by these teens all the time, you can do nothing but serve. I'm not quite sure who I am going to be when I go back home to Pa, but I know I am not the same as yesterday. Yesterday I was not the same as the day before. I mean, how can I? How can you see so much pain, so much joy, so many broken hearts, and ever be the same? I know something I need to take away from all of this, is that we can't sit back, and watch Christianity happen. There is hurt EVERYWHERE, Just because it isn't written on a panel, doesn't mean I am not constantly surrounded by it. We all have a call to GO, and what I mean is get off your butt. Make yourself uncomfortable. And get into peoples lives. Find the hurt. And help them wipe it clean. I can only imagine what one of those panels would look like if it sat inside my church. If it sat in my school. If it sat in my own h
ouse. I guess sometimes you feel so convicted of what our call is that you can't stay quiet. My accountability partner and I created a campaign that we joke about, but take completely seriously at the same time. It's called our "no excuses campaign." I keep thinking it's going to be a huge difference when I go home. The more I think about it. Yeah, I will be a thousand miles away from here. No, I won't have a band. No, I won't have hundreds of thousands of dollars of stereo equipment although I wouldn't mind. And No, I will not be surrounded by thousands of teens a week. But the same ministry will still happen. Having the heart of a servant is an incredibly hard thing to actually hold in your chest, but it's what we're called to find, and use... every... single... waking... minute...
So the end is in sight, I get to see my beautiful lady in less then two weeks, and have my mommas home cooking in a little over three weeks. I can't say I'm not excited. But I have to give these last few days everything I possess. Thanks for reading. Please keep praying. It;s power I can't begin to explain.
Doulos... His Servant... His Slave,
Adam
welcomes all of the churches as they arrive on location. We hop in their van/bus and pray for them, and chill with them, and take them outside to play stupid games, it's awesome. Any who, I met this one youth group, Harbor Side Church from Florida. I ended up really hitting it off with a bunch of kids from their youth group (pictured left). Throughout the week I ended up doing security on their hall, which means I got to go and hang out with them at the end of every night. I will always remember these guys. They were genuine guys, who were really searching for their identity in Christ. It was heartbreaking to watch them find it throughout the week. Another thing that happened throughout the week was some K-9 intruders in the night. While all of the kids were out at Youth group time after celebration, there had been two loose pit bulls that came loose on our campus. They ended up biting two students, then getting punched in the face by a youth pastor. Of course dozens of cops show up with guns drawn screaming for kids to get into the buildings. Of course they thought what I had originally thought, "oh crap, someone is shooting up the campus." But luckily it was only dogs. So the police of Cleveland, Tennessee who very obviously had nothing better to do began terrorizing our campus for over an hour before shooting one of the dogs. You can imagine after hearing a gunshot on campus that many of the kids were scared to death, let me just tell you that was a long night of security. I finally got to bed at 2am. At the end of the week I also got to go to this Beautiful waterfall n
ear North Carolina, and just catch up and get ready for this next week. So on to this week... the whole feel of this week has been completely different. It's really weird knowing this is the last time I am going to be doing all of this. To top it off, this is also our biggest crowed packing the gym at just under 1600 teens. I can't help but feel whats is going on in the room. I can't help but have my heart broken hundreds of times a week. I can't help but listen to the cries of high school kids and ignore them. Take tonight for example... It was the night where the students wrote their hurts out on these giant clear walls, that went together to make a isolation chamber that two ladies will sit in all night and pray for. I feel so much pain every time I read them. I don't know how you can't. Just an example of some of the stuff on the wall... "Kidnapped and raped, 02/03/2004; molestation; broken home; my family hates me; I want to end it all, please 
someone stop me; no one knows I exist; I'm tired of being... alone... " All you can do is place your hand there, and pray for them, and feel for them. Then worship starts up. The band screams out, "so come home running, His arms are open wide". I look around. I see hundreds of kids in absolute tears, which groups of people all around them with a hand on their shoulders. I see that every night, I feel that every night. Sometimes you just don't know what to do with that. The incredible thing is , come Friday, the mood changes, and then it all comes together. On Friday they sing "shout Unto God" And if you know the song, then you know what I am talking about. The lyrics say "the enemies been defeated, death couldn't hold you down, we're gonna life out voice in victory, we're gonna make our praises loud". All of the kids have their fist in the air. They're fired up. They're mad at what Satan has done to their homes; done to their families; done to their youth group; done to their friendships; done to their lives... done to them... With a final roar, one of the band members screams at the top of his lungs, and the kids just go insane for Christ. I see this happen... every... single... Friday... And it will never change the impact of it, no matter how many times I see it. But what does this do to my life, what does that do to me. What Am I going to take home from all of this. I guess When you are surrounded by these teens all the time, you can do nothing but serve. I'm not quite sure who I am going to be when I go back home to Pa, but I know I am not the same as yesterday. Yesterday I was not the same as the day before. I mean, how can I? How can you see so much pain, so much joy, so many broken hearts, and ever be the same? I know something I need to take away from all of this, is that we can't sit back, and watch Christianity happen. There is hurt EVERYWHERE, Just because it isn't written on a panel, doesn't mean I am not constantly surrounded by it. We all have a call to GO, and what I mean is get off your butt. Make yourself uncomfortable. And get into peoples lives. Find the hurt. And help them wipe it clean. I can only imagine what one of those panels would look like if it sat inside my church. If it sat in my school. If it sat in my own h
ouse. I guess sometimes you feel so convicted of what our call is that you can't stay quiet. My accountability partner and I created a campaign that we joke about, but take completely seriously at the same time. It's called our "no excuses campaign." I keep thinking it's going to be a huge difference when I go home. The more I think about it. Yeah, I will be a thousand miles away from here. No, I won't have a band. No, I won't have hundreds of thousands of dollars of stereo equipment although I wouldn't mind. And No, I will not be surrounded by thousands of teens a week. But the same ministry will still happen. Having the heart of a servant is an incredibly hard thing to actually hold in your chest, but it's what we're called to find, and use... every... single... waking... minute... 