That avenue continued as we talked about launching small groups to be the friendliest place in the city. In a recent survey of things most looked for in a youth ministry, over 70% said that the number one thing they want is a friendly atmosphere where they can be themselves. We have worked very hard to create that environment at Adrenaline.

Last night, we had a visitor that most would label as a “rough” student. At first glance, he seemed like a person you might walk on the other side of the street from. But our students were so amazing. They actually went after him, pursued him. They talked to him. They hung out with him. They played games with him. They made him feel very welcome. The girl that brought him is also fairly new to Adrenaline, and her mom had this to say to one of our adult leaders afterward:

Joey said he really liked youth group last night, he said everyone made him feel very welcome and is wanting to come back!!! He also thinks pastor Tony was “cool” Thanks for being such a wonderful blessing Tony, Ken & Sandy.

To me, this is the big win for Adrenaline.

Since there is NO youth ministry here at all, I am literally starting from the foundation, and that is just building relationships. There are great things in the works, but right now, I am simply focusing on getting to know the students that I have. Once I get in with them, I can start to build on that foundation.

I appreciate all of your continued prayers. The road ahead is a long one, and I know that I am still in the “honeymoon” phase so to speak. Everything right now is very optimistic and cheery, but I know that there is hard work to be done. So here we go!

For a little over a year, I have been looking for a full time pastoring position, with no success. There were opportunities here and there, but nothing definitive. I took call after call, interview after interview, and no real leads. But praise God, during all of this, I continued to trust that He would open the right door at the right time.

And open it He has. Just over a month ago, a pastor from Chico, Ca. called and wanted to setup an interview. I accepted the interview, and the ball started rolling.

The Interview. He wanted me to come up for a whole weekend to meet his family, attend a service and even speak at the evening service. This all came as a shock, as we had only talked on the phone twice before confirming an interview. When I arrived, he told me that he had talked to many of my references, and they all had great things to say about me (I paid them well). We talked about his vision for the church and youth ministry, my call to ministry and experience, giftings and ministry styles. On every item, we seemed to strike a chord with each other. It was awesome!

He did tell me that most of the church was older people, but since he has been there the church has seen a surge of younger families begin to attend. He went on to tell me that since he has been there, he has been promoting beginning a children’s ministry and youth ministry in order for the future of the church to be secured. This really resonated with me, as I really believe that a healthy church is one that ministers to the entire family.

After our lengthy meeting, we all went to lunch (myself, the pastor and his family). At lunch, I had a great time connecting with his three teenage kids and is wife. We all just really connected. It was great! After lunch, the pastor took me around Chico to give me a general idea of the area. For a city of just over 100,000, it felt very “right” for me.

The First Service. I attended the Sunday morning class and service the following day. The worship was mostly hymns (nothing wrong with those), but I still enjoyed it. Granted, a lot of change will have to happen in that service to attract younger families, but they are on their way to doing so. Praise God. To be perfectly honest, I was a little scared, as there really were a lot of older people in attendance. But I was encouraged as many of them came up to me after the service and told me that they knew they needed to bring in younger ministers to ensure the future of the church.

The In Between. We all went out to lunch again, and just had a great time. After lunch, the pastor and I returned to the church and I just spent time in prayer about the service that night (I was preaching) and about the overall opportunity. Part of my prayer was that if God really wanted me in Chico, then He was going to have to put Chico in my heart. After a while, the pastor came in and we just hung out in the office, checking out my Macbook (he had never seen a Mac before).

The Night Service. The pastor had pumped to the congregation that I was going to be speaking that night, so there was a pretty decent turnout at the night service. During the time of worship, it was even more “old school” as more hymns were sung, but there was a definite presence of God in that place. It was during this time that I got on my knees and just worshiped God, and He began to put Chico in my heart.

Moments before I got up to speak, God gave me a prophetic word for the church, which I spoke over them just before I spoke. I then spoke on two types of Christians; those that seek God for His “presence” and those that seek after His “presents.” It was a great word that even melted my own heart. Afterward, the presence of God was all over the people, and many just worshiped Him. It was amazing!

Afterward. After the service, the pastor was very open to the idea of bringing me on, and after much prayer and counsel, I really feel that this is the next step for me in God’s plan. A week later, I accepted the position.

Now, I need to get a few things in order here, and then get ready to move! So that is it! God is definitely a good God!