A Look Inside: Friday @ Founders

 

 

Take a look at what happens on any given Friday Morning at Founders Park. WyldLife meets at 7am, on Friday mornings in Ladera, and over 60 kids come almost every week to eat doughnuts, hang with leaders, play a game, and hear about Jesus.

 

When we started this we never dreamed anything like this would happen, but apparently kids are hungry for something like this, and I don't think its just the doughnuts!

First Young Life club of the year!

Getting ready for the first club of the year!

Last night was the first high school Young Life club of the year! We had around 40 kids from 4 different high schools come out ready to have a great time. While the leaders and I were excited, we had no idea of how many kids to expect. I was hoping for enough to make things exciting, but did not expect anything like what we had!

Shaving cream baseball... it might have gotten a little messy.

The night started with everyone hanging out around the fire as kids showed up. One of the highlights for me was watching the returning kids from last year come. They were so excited to see Josh and Micah. It was evident how deeply Josh and Micah cared for these kids last year. I pray that as we move into this year, and possibly some growth in numbers, the relational aspect continues in this same way. The foundation that Josh and Micah laid last year is great!

 

MVP pitcher, Jack Benjamin, and Sam... like I said, it got messy!

Once everyone seemed to have arrived, we played a game. Shaving cream baseball. Its basically a game of whiffle ball, but the ball is filled with shaving cream. It was awesome watching the ball explode every time it was hit, and Jack Benjamin was hilarious to watch as a pitcher. As the game came to a close we switched the ball out for water balloons filled with shaving cream and let kids take turns hitting them with the bats... and then it just turned into a bit of a shaving cream war... nothing says Young Life like people getting covered in shaving cream!

Now that's a fire!

Once the mayhem died down we had s'mores and hung out around the fire. We have a few new leaders, and then a couple leaders, myself included, who came up from WyldLife this year. It was great getting to see leaders and kids begin new relationships, and watching the new leaders jump right in with kids.

Some of the freshman kids looked a bit in shock. I don't know if they knew what they were getting into, but as they were leaving they said they couldn't wait for next week, and were excited to bring more of their friends.

Like we always say, Young Life is about relationships. It starts with leaders building relationships with kids, and then those leaders hopefully get to help kids begin and build their relationship with Jesus. Nights like these are all about making opportunities for leaders and kids to get to know each other. A relationship with my Young Life leader forever changed my life, and I pray that some of the relationships started last night will change some of the kids lives in a similar way!

At the end of the night I introduced all the leaders to the kids, and let them know what to expect for the rest of the year. We will be having club every Friday night. All the leaders shared how they are involved with Young Life because they want kids to see that Jesus loves them just the way they are. I got to share how we do this because we believe, with all our hearts, that Jesus came to give us life to the full. I also told them that we want them to come and feel like they belong even if they don't agree with us about Jesus. Young Life is for every kid, everywhere, for eternity. We will always seek to be a part of these kids' lives, even if they never want anything to do with Jesus.

Next week is the all Orange County Young Life roller skating party! Its going to be a great time for sure!

So much fun! Can't wait for the rest of the year!

Regional Leader Retreat

What a great group of leaders!

This last weekend was the annual South Coast Regional Leader Retreat. South County took 12 leaders up to 1,000 Pines Christian Camp for an epic weekend. It was awesome to be there with close to 500 other leaders from our region, which includes pretty much all of Southern California south of LA.

Grant, Bailey, Caleb, Shay, Hannah, and Andy

The weekend started with club. It was great to get to be a part of a Young Life club made for leaders, and as with all clubs, it was a blast! The program team did a wonderful job showing us how to make people laugh, by making us laugh, and then the speaker, Larry Anderson, was incredible. Club was a real treat, and we all walked away with smiles and lots of ideas for our own clubs this year.

Club time!

South County and Coronado Young Life teams dominated paintball!

Free time was filled with things ranging from a high ropes course, to paintball. 8 of us decided to play paintball and had an absolute blast playing with and against the leadership teams from San Clemente, San Diego, and Coronado Island.

Inspiration point shenanigans.

One of the best things for me was watching our team get to know each other. There were a few leaders who didn't really know anyone coming into this trip, but walked away feeling like a part of a great family. Seeing these leaders get to realize how big the Southern California Young Life family is, was also great. They got to see that they are not alone, that our area is a part of something much larger.

Young Life is a good time, every time.

The theme for the weekend was that Young Life is about Jesus. Everything we do flows out of our relationship with Jesus. While club, and campaigners, and program, and everything else we do has its place, if all we are doing is introducing kids to Young Life, we aren't really doing much. Jesus is the center, and if that isn't the case, things start to fall apart.

Almost 500 leaders from around Southern California singing praises to our loving Father.

This leader retreat was a rallying point for our teams. Both the WyldLife team, and the Young Life team are excited about what is coming this year. They are excited about growing closer to Jesus as we grow close to our high school and middle school friends. They are excited about bring Jesus' love into the schools and communities of South Orange County this year, and they are excited about being a part of a mission that seeks to glorify God through loving kids in Jesus' name.

The program team that did all the skits spent the weekend trying to figure out what the letters YNWA stood for. After the weekend was over we came to learn it stood for You'll Never Walk Alone. This is so true. We just spent the weekend with almost 500 other people that love kids and love Jesus and want to be a part of something that helps kids find their way to Jesus' feet.

This was illustrated perfectly when leaving, Josh's car got stuck in his parking spot because of some soft sand. Multiple leaders from multiple areas quickly swarmed the car and pushed it right out.

To say the least, I am VERY excited about this year of ministry, and being a part of the mission of Young Life in Southern California!

What a team!

Ladera WyldLife: Jesus' Mission

Kate is Back!

It was another great morning at Founders Park today! Kate was back! She is the youth pastor at Rock Harbor Mission Viejo and its so good having her come help out on Friday mornings.

Nothing like Founders on a Friday morning

Grant has done a great job of setting up different things for leaders and kids to do as they eat doughnuts and hangout before the game starts. From Spikeball, to Disc Slam, to ultimate Frisbee, there are several different way for kids and leaders to connect over a good doughnut.

Musical chairs... with a twist.

The game this week was a variation of an old classic, musical chairs. Instead of chairs we had the kids split up into two groups, one group acted as chairs, and the other as the people trying to sit on the chairs. It was fun watching as kids got wild and started fighting for a spot on a chair.

Bryce and some 6th graders talking about life.

I got the privilege of giving the talk today. I talked about having a mission, getting lost, and then being found.

I talked about a time in 4th grade when a friend and I were bored on a summer day and came up with a mission. We were going to get lost! We packed a water bottle, you have to be prepared you know, and set out from his house hoping to not be able to find our way home. The only thing was, he wasn't allowed to cross any streets with stop signs and he knew his way around his neighborhood too well. I decided that if we wanted to accomplish our mission we were going to have to split up. Seconds after we split up, I was completely lost.

I remember feeling like around each corner I would see his house, but each corner brought new, unfamiliar sights. The more I walked, the more desperate I felt. I will never forget the feeling of seeing his mom's car come around a corner. I was such a relief, and the feelings of desperation changed to feelings of relief and joy instantly.

Jesus came to this planet on a mission. The Bible tells us, over and over again, that Jesus came to rescue the lost. and to save people, even those that didn't know they needed saving.

I told the story of a man that was desperately lost. His name was Zacchaeus. Three things to know about Zach is that he was a tax collector, meaning he stole money from people. Tax collectors were hated because they worked for the occupying government. They were Jews that used authority given to them by Rome to take advantage of other Jews. The last thing to know is that Zach was short. He was a "wee little man" as a classic Sunday School song states.

So, when the day came when Jesus was coming to town, Zach didn't have a chance to see him. Imagine a scene something like the scene in DC this week with the Pope. People were crowding everywhere to get a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus had become a big deal. No one would let Zach get in, so he found a tree that hung over the road Jesus was traveling down. He hid himself in the leaves so no one would see him and waited till Jesus passed by.

The second Jesus got under Zach, Jesus did something Zach wasn't expecting. He looked straight up at Zach and said, "Zach, come down immediately... I must stay at your house today."

NO ONE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THIS. Jesus, staying at Zacchaeus' house... People like Jesus weren't supposed to hang out with people like Zach. But Jesus didn't follow those rules. Jesus was different. Like the Pope stopping the parade to say hi to a little girl that got over the barricade this week, Jesus made time for everyone.

Zach responded to Jesus' kindness by changing. He told everyone he was going to give half of what he had to the poor, and then pay back thos he took advantage of 4 times the amount he stole. Zach knew that he had been lost, but was now found.

Jesus responded to those who questioned his actions by saying that he, "came to seek and save the lost." In John 3:17, directly after the ever so famous John 3:16, John writes, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

This was the mission of Jesus, to save, to find, to restore.

The three take-aways I had for the kids this morning were:

1. Jesus didn't come to hang out with "good" people, or popular people, or people that looked like they had everything figured out. Jesus came to be with everyone, especially the kind of people no one else wanted to be around. No matter who we are, how "good" we are, how "bad" we are, how strong or weak, how guilty, how messy, how rich or poor... Jesus came to be with us. Jesus wants to come to our house.

2. Jesus was on a mission to save people. He didn't come to judge or pint his finger at people and make them feel bad for not doing the right things, or making mistakes. Jesus came to love people, and to save them from living a diminished life. He doesn't use guilt and shame to show people what they are doing wrong, but lovingly invites them to follow him, motivating through love and kindness, like with Zach. Too bad so many of his followers, myself included at times, have missed that completely. Jesus uses love to invite people, not shame to exclude people.

3. Jesus can always find us, and he will never stop looking for us. In life, sometimes we just get lost. Its as true as anything, and, thank God, Jesus is always quick to search, and quick to find. Like he found Zach in the tree when no one else noticed him, he sees us and he invites us to come down, so he can come and be with us. We cannot get lost enough, or hide well enough for Jesus. He will always come to our rescue, he will always find us.

This is really GOOD NEWS. If you think of guilt and shame, or if you have ever experienced Christian people pointing a finger of judgment at you or someone you care about. I am sorry. That is not a good representation of Jesus. Jesus doesn't do that to change the world, Jesus loves, even to the point of death. Jesus was a perfect representation of God, Jesus was God, and God is LOVE.

World record amount of kids doing ninja kicks at Founders park.

A Look Inside: Eat the Menu

Over 40 kids, and over $250 of McDonalds food... such a fun night.

The purpose of events like this in WyldLife is to give kids a place to be crazy kids, to build relationships between kids and leaders, and for leaders to earn the right to speak into their lives.

While these events just look like chaos, there is actually so much more going on just under the surface!

South County Young Life Celebration & Fundraiser

The Annual South County Banquet is just around the corner! Please join us for a fantastic evening filled with great food and drink, a wonderful silent auction, inspirational stories from the ministry this year, and some great entertainment in true Young Life fashion!

 

CLICK HERE to register for the event online, or text Luke, 949-293-6443, for more details. Every penny raised at this event will help continue the ministry of Young Life in Southern Orange County.

WyldLife Eats the Menu!!

Matt and Charlie with each teams menu!

Fridays are for WyldLife in Ladera Ranch!

 

We had our first Friday night Club last night. The game we played was called Eat the Menu! It has become the annual kick-off event for Ladera Ranch WyldLife club.

 

Last night over 40 kids came to McDonalds ready eat some really delicious and healthy food (there may be a bit of sarcasm there)! We split up into three teams and ordered $250 worth of food. Each team had to race through the food and the team that finished first won.

 

While this event may seem crazy (it is) and it may be hard to understand the reasoning behind doing something like this, it goes a long way in helping us leaders earn the right to be heard. Having these events where kids are encouraged to do something way out of the norm, but still super fun, helps them to realize that we want them to have fun, be crazy kids, and be themselves. As they begin to see that we aren't trying to change them, and that we genuinely want to be their friends, they begin to trust us. As this happens we get to share Jesus' love with them... and they listen because they know we care about them, and we have earned the right.

 

The beauty of Young Life and WyldLife is relationship. Leaders build real friendships with kids and then enter into their lives in order to support, encourage, and love. When kids give us permission, we are quick to help direct kids towards better life decisions, build habits that will help them in the future, and introduce them to Jesus, helping them learn what it is like to have a real growing relationship with him.

 

So, while things like Eat the Menu may seem a bit strange... there are some deeper things happening amidst the chaos.

Team Turkey Sandwich getting crazy!

The desert queens doing work on the sweets!

Chomp chomp chomp...

When WyldLife takes over McDonalds!



The MVP of the night... you don't want to know how much her ate.