Good morning Pittsburgh

This morning I awoke to coffee, sunshine, and three year old Jessica dancing to single ladies by Beyonce....perfect. I love how God uses the joy of a child to bring a smile.

I love that I am sitting on a chair on Nathan's porch looking out over the town of Canonsburg,PA. It's just really good to be in the hills. The midwest has left a pretty distinct picture in my mind...yeah... I forget.

Please pray for Teen Madness! God is going to do sweet things this week!

New journey

As I type this I am sitting at Nathan Lee's house (youth pastor at South Hills). I just left Green Lake, Wisconsin where I was able to minister to an awesome group of students. God is doing incredible things in the lives of youth!

On the way down and across I listened to a sermon by Senior Pastor John Piper on the supremacy of Jesus Christ. One of the hard hitting statements he said was, "As Christians, we need to be salty and our saltiness will be made salty by the radical living sacrifice we become for Christ." I love this statement a lot. I have been praying that God would give me a vision for how to lead his people. I want the students I interact with to rise to the call of Christ. I pray that they will pick up their cross and follow hard after Christ. I pray that they will live as living sacrifices for the gospel and minister with saltiness.

I'm super pumped that God has led me to Pittsburgh,PA. There is a work to be down here.

^{13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.}

^{14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.}

Matthew 5:13-16

Be salty!!!!

9 days left...

Hard to believe that I have been in Green Lake, WI since June 7th. Upon realizing this I have also been reminded that I am NOT GOING TO SCHOOL this fall. It is so crazy that this day is finally here. I am about to travel ten hours to Pittsburgh,PA to work as an associate pastor of student ministries. This is so tight!

9 days...

I feel like I have just finished my lego castle (complete with mote and bridge of course). But then I look at the castle and see that there is still much more to be done. I could add more towers, put a dining room in, and probably give the serfs more than a tent to live in and a cow. Seriously, even though I feel so completed I still feel the need to grow.

9 days...

Being here at Green Lake I have felt the importance of being thorough in what I know. My undergrad studies really helped me unpack a lot of my leadership skills and knowledge of God's Word and the role I play in ministry. This summer, God has basically told me that I don't know everything and that I have much more to learn. I believe it!

Basically, God is still growing me and pushing me to become the man he is calling me to be. I really hope that this has been a wake up call for you all who are reading/stalking my blog. God doesn't stop teaching or growing you just because you are out of school. I believe that we need to do God's work to the fullest. Keep learning and growing!

9 days left till I am in Pittsburgh

much love,

luke