emotional

i lost it this morning.

i woke up in a room full of high school guys at Fall Retreat today and the first thing on my mind was . . . this is my last day as a their youth pastor.

after several students shared a testimony of something God did at the retreat, i had my chance to give some final words.

the emotions came and the tears rolled before i could get even one word out. a few things i was able to share through the tears:

(1) i am proud of you

(2) i have been privileged to lead you

(3) i believe God wants to teach you some new things through a new leader

(4) i am excited to see what God has in store for the future for each of you

(5) thank you

i couldn't have asked for a better retreat! God was faithful once again and i enjoyed the weekend so much!

tonight, we officially close this chapter of our lives in ministry and open a new one.

thanks to all of you who have made this chapter so special!

thanks to God for allowing us to be used to impact lives at Dayspring!

it has been amazing!

last lap

the day has finally arrived!

this is my last official day in the office, serving as youth and young adult pastor at Dayspring Assembly of God.
this past Wed was my last youth service with XLR8. we had 101 students and God was working overtime on the students!
we are leaving in 2 hours and 23 minuted for my last Retreat with the amazing students of XLR8!

tonight will be my last sermon . . . wow . . . it's all setting in.

the questions going through my mind right now:

did i do a good job?
did i give them everything i had to give?
will they continue to love God?
will they step up and lead?
have i given my best to God?
did i reach my potential?
what should i have done different?

i suppose someone could really stress about these questions. although i know i was not perfect and could've done better in areas, i know i poured my heart out and yielded to God. only he knows what will be the end result of our efforts.

i cannot wait to hang out with, love on, and enjoy each and every students this weekend at FALL RETREAT 08!

next time i write, i will no longer be serving Dayspring . . . thanks God for the blessing it was!

peace

being separate

today is SYATP (see you at the pole). a yearly date chosen where students all over the world gather at their school's flagpole to pray. i had the privilege of praying at Bowling Green High School with about 25 people (students, teachers, and parents).

days like this cause me to be so proud! i love seeing people, especially teenagers, choosing to be separate by standing up for something they believe in!

it may sound easy, but until you stand up for what is right in front of hundreds who don't support you or share your beliefs, you really have no idea!

tonight, i have the privilege of preaching to many of the students of XLR8 for one last time. God has placed a message on my heart titled, "living for God in an unGodly world." i am so thankful that scores of teenagers (junior & senior high), have chosen to live for God by being separate in a world that is far from God's heart.

will you choose to be separate today by your speech, actions, and lifestyle? will you choose to live a Godly life in an unGodly environment? where is your boldness? what is your walk with Christ worth to you?

"come out from among them and BE SEPARATE"
-2 Corinthians 6:17

peace

lazy Saturdays

today started at 7:30am . . . thanks, Nash! after making waffles for breakfast, my #1 task of the day was to wash my car. amanda and i bought our Grand Am 6+ years ago, it is the only car i have ever purchased and paid off. it was great to receive the title in the mail a year ago. anyway, i find solace in being outside on a brezzy, sunny, saturday afternoon with plenty of time to wash my car.

of course, that all ended when my 3 amazing children joined me outside. life changed from relaxing and quiet, to adventurous and loud. one thing about my kids though, they love to help. Kati and Annie grabbed sponges to wash and Nash supervised as he sat in his little red car wearing only a diaper.

anyway, we got the job done right before kickoff of the Ohio State game. i enjoy being lazy on Saturdays, watching football, playing games with the kids, and recharging the batteries. everyone needs slow down moments . . . moments to just relax and be spontaneous.

thanks, God, for lazy Saturdays!

peace

God moments

God laid a message on my heart yesterday about creating God moments in our lives. if we wait for life to happen to us, or God moments to just occur, we may miss a lot. if we chase down God moments each day, we will definitely have more of them.

Last night, in XLR8 youth, students were challenged to be proactive when it comes to God moments. one young lady, Ashley, decided to commit her heart back to God. another student, Lincoln, needed a physical touch and God healed him on the spot! as the students were leaving, i aske deach of them if they had a God moment and everyone said YES!

my challenge for you today is to go on the offensive and create a God moment in your life. it could be one of the following:

prayer
bible reading
sharing your faith
a coprporate praise and worship setting
listening to a sermon
quieting yourself before God to listen

3 things you can do to create a God moment:

plan one
look for one in the daily routine
refuse to resist of God initiates one

let me know the next time you have a God moment! they are life changing!

peace

people

i am sitting in Panera observing others and planning the XLR8 service for tonight. it has been awhile since i've come to work outside of the office. i love it and need to do it more. it helps me stay connected with the PEOPLE of the world.

i love watching PEOPLE interact with each other:
there is the little kid gagging on some bread sitting with her dad and grandparents.
there is the guy in a shirt and tie with his laptop tucked away in a corner. what is he up to?
there is the lady who bring her own food in small little lunchbox and sips her coffee while reading some book.
there are the 2 guys behind me talking about money, church, and cars.
there are the high school students who slip in to grab a coffee and a bagel. are they skipping school?
there is the girl sitting alone outside with her water watching the cars drive by. is she waiting for someone? is she ok?
there are the workers busy at cleaning and prepping food for lunch while meeting all the needs of the guests.
there are the random older guys reading the news paper. must be nice not to have anything pressing to goet done!
9 new PEOPLE just walked in the door. can't wait to see what they are all about

PEOPLE make the world go round. life is so much about relationships. everyone has a plan and a purpose. my plan and purpose is to share with many of these PEOPLE about the good news of the Gospel. i enjoy it. it's what i do.

well, time to prepare the sermon for tonight!

peace

body of Christ

yesterday was an emotional day. amanda and i talked briefly in the morning before i went over to the prayer center to meet with the staff for monday morning prayer togethere. actually, she talked and i listened. she was struggling with our transition.

i gave her hug and headed out the door unaware that in just a few minutes, i would be pouring out my heart to God in an unihibited expression of my emotions that i had yet to release.

i have been able to avoid "breaking down" through this process. as i examined the fact that the Valantine family only had 2 weeks left to serve at Dayspring, it hit me. i have developed so many friendships in BG. i could spend hours describing the amazing people god has brought into my life in the last 3 years.

this is no easy sacrifice to leave. but, we know God has called us and now that we have made a good decision, it's time to make our decision good! (thanks, Konan)

i beleive the next season of life will reveal the next several Godly friends that He has in sotre for our family. we are sad, but we are optimistic and exicted about the potential to go to a new city and reach many with the hope of the Gospel!

the body of Christ came areound my family yesterday to encourage and join their hearts with ours. for that, i am blessed and thankful. what a joy to be part of the family of God!

peace

heartbreak

this weekend has been tough for my sports fan heart. between the Buckeyes and the Blue Jays, the heart is struggling and i may need a transplant if my Steelers lose tonight to the Browns.

on a serious note, my heart has been weak the past few days. i am sad about leaving Bowling Green and the amazing students and leaders there.

they say (side note: when people say they, who do they mean?) that when a bone breaks, it heals back stronger then it was before. my prayer is that my heart will heal from the breaks it will experience in the next few weeks, and it will be stronger than ever.

please pray for the Valantine family as we go through this transtion!

peace

5th Quarter

we had a great time at 5th Quarter last night:

(1) the community center was awesome! Leah and Elizabeth were so helpful and accomodating!

(2) 5 different pizza places donated pizzas! Paglias, Papa Johns, Marcos, Mancinos, and Miles.

(3) Matt Wilson won the biggest giveaway we have ever done (Nintendo Wii w/Rockband). He already had a Wii so he kept Rockband and let us give away the Wii to someone else! What a guy!

(4) we had over 100 students from several different schools

(5) dodgeball, basketball, and volleyball were all a hit (especially dodgeball - pun intended!)
some girl was drilled in the head - ouch!

(6) 10-15 students accepted Christ as their Savior after Joel Penton shared his story - thanks Joel!

(7) all of our adult leaders and student leaders did a great job before, during, and after the event

(8) Stephen Zenner was amazing at meeting people and inviting them to the event while we were walking around the football game

check back later today for more blogging excitment!

GO FOR IT

i have been looking at my blog link in the toolbar of my macbook for 2 weeks now and i've been avoiding the inevitbale post . . .

well, here goes nothing . . .

about a month ago, Amanda and I accepted God's call and the Ohio District's invitation to become the lead pastors of Lifepoint Church in Delaware, OH. that means we only have 2 weeks left to serve the great students of XLR8 and the amazing young adults of SALT here in BG.

our first Sunday at Lifepoint will be Oct. 19th, followed by our installation service on the 26th in which Ohio Superintendent John Wooton will be speaking.

this was truly the hardest ministry decision we have ever had to make. God has blessed our family and the ministries we have led at Dayspring! we were not looking to leave, and yet God would not stop knocking on our heart's door.

we love BG! we love the people! we love our new pastor, Scott Estep! but, we love God more than all of those, and when we accepted His call to full-time ministry, we made the decision to follow Him no matter where He led us.

so here we are.

yes, i am excited for the future, but the next few weeks will be full of reflection over the past 3 years and the great opportunity we have had to serve the students of Dayspring.

i will be sharing what God has taught me in my ministry these past 3 years and keeping those of you who read this up to date on the Valantine family. (yes, i will be blogging more often. i know you all wait in eager anticipation for my next post)

today, i say GO FOR IT! do what God has called you to do with all your heart! time is short. no man is guaranteed tomorrow!

why wait? today is the day, Carpe Diem!