March Update...

Young Life in South County consists of four different clubs/ministries. First, we have our typical Young Life Club for kids at SJHHS, Tesoro, Dana Hills, and J Serra. We also have 2 WyldLife clubs for middle school kids at Ladera Middle School, and Marco Forster Middle School, lastly we have our Capernaum Club, for kids with special needs that serves all of South Orange County. In each of these clubs, the mission is the same: introduce kids to Jesus and help them grow in their relationship with him. This month all four clubs were busy loving kids in the name of Jesus, and providing places where kids can come,  be known and loved right where they are, as they are, and hear the Gospel in a way that relates to them. From eating Nachos while watching Nacho Libre, to getting crazy at Big Air, to trading a penny for a unicycle, to playing kick-ball while wearing wacky costumes, kids from all different places and walks of life got to experience the love of Jesus this month through Young Life in South County. Keep reading for an update and pictures from each club...

Young Life SJHHS/Tesoro

The annual All OC YL Dodgeball Tournament was earlier this month. It was so fun. One of our teams took home third, and all the guys had a blast! It was so cool seeing several hundred kids from Young Life clubs all over Orange County have such a great time together! Nachos with Nacho was a great night! A bunch of big school kids came over to Casa de Bright and scarfed on nachos while watching Nacho Libre. Hannah and I got dressed up as wrestlers and started the night off with an epic thumb wrestling tournament. It was a fun night, and we had several new kids come out, including a few new girls! For our Young Life club we have been continuing with Campaigners, and its been great getting into the Bible with everyone. We have been looking at how Jesus said that the most important thing was loving God and loving your neighbor like you love yourself. Kyle has been exploring some of the different implications of this, and has been showing how Star Wars can really help us understand parts of the Bible! Its been great being able to eat and hang together, get into the Bible and hear from Kyle, and then split up into smaller groups and talk about life.

Capernaum

The Capernaum club is seeing some excitement these last few weeks! At the end of last month they went to Big Air and had an absolute blast! About 10 kids came, and a few new faces. Each of these kids got to have a really good time with leaders and friends that truly care about them. It was great to get to talk with parents, most of whom are fairly new to the ministry, about how excited and thankful they are to have a great social activity for their kids to come to.  As we move forward next year, we are looking to move towards a more inclusive model of ministry for Capernaum and Young Life in South County. Rachel and I have a deep desire to see kids with and without special needs come together, have a blast, learn from each other, love each other, and show off the Kingdom of God in a unique way. While Young Life, and even Capernaum, is absolutely for kids that have yet to meet Jesus, we think having an inclusive ministry will be something that will attract kids from both sides, and brings kids to Jesus' feet.

Marco WyldLife

Talk about having fun! Marco WyldLife has been such a blast this month. Because of difficulties getting permission to meet at the park across from Marco on Tuesday mornings, we have moved to meeting every other Tuesday night... and it has really been a great club! We have been growing, and the excitement is through the roof!  At our first club of the month, we had a kid from Syria come out. He ended up loving WyldLife and when the family that brought him to club dropped him off at his house, they were invited in for tea! This kid has loved WyldLife so much that he asked the mom who brought him to club the first time to write in a calendar all the days that there was WyldLife so he would never miss it. Who knows what God is doing here, but it is awesome to get to be a part of it!

Ladera Ranch WyldLife

As always, WyldLife has been busy in Ladera Ranch! Aside from the weekly meetings at Founders Park on Friday mornings, they have had a costume kick-ball club, and a fashion show club! Things are always fun and whimsical for WyldLife Ladera. One of the coolest new developments for the Ladera club is that there are now two amazing girl leaders, Shay and Kara. While Shay has been a great leader for the past year, Kara is new, but comes from Young Life in Irvine, and is incredible. A couple weekends ago, they took a group of girls hiking. For so long Ladera has been mostly a boys club, but now, with Kara and Shay, its exciting to see some really cool things happen for the girls!

March has been such a great month and there is more to look forward to in the coming months. For the next few months we will be focussing a good amount of our attention to getting kids to camp. The hope and prayer this year is that we will send over 60 kids and leaders to two different camps this summer. The WyldLife groups will be going to Oakridge July 26-31, and Young Life and Capernaum will be going to Woodleaf August 1-7. If you are reading this and know some kids who would love to have the best week of their lives with us, please pass this along!

What is Young Life?

High School Campaigners

"What do you do?"

I get this question a lot. It is usually followed by, "What is Young Life?"

If you look at the mission statement of Young Life, "Introducing adolescents to Christ, and helping them grow in their faith," it seems pretty straight forward... Young Life seems to be like any other youth ministry. We are trying to share Jesus with kids, and help them develop and grow in relationship with him.

To a very large degree, this is correct. We are like most church youth groups. We try to develop an atmosphere that is attractive to kids, and will foster their growth in Jesus.

But, at the same time, we are different than most local church youth groups.

We primarily seek the lost sheep that don't seem to have a flock, or have wondered away from home. We are going after the kids that aren't going to one of the many amazing youth groups that are all over South Orange County.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a few stories of lost things. He tells the story of a lost sheep, and then a story of a woman who lost a coin, followed by the story of a father who loses a son. In the first two stories, the shepherd and the woman drop everything they are doing and seek after what they have lost. Jesus says that the shepherd would leave 99 sheep to just find the one that got lost.

Young Life is this shepherd. We are a part of the arm of the Church that goes out from the pen in search of the lost sheep. We do not have a building, and when we go out doing Young Life, we are leaving the flock behind in search of sheep that have gotten lost, or even sheep that just never seem to have found home. We go to these sheep, meet them where they are, earn their trust by showing them that we like them just the way they are, and then begin to bring them home through a loving and caring relationship.

This takes a lot of time, and, often times, it doesn't look pretty, doesn't look flashy, and can be incredibly hard work. More times than not, it might not be much to look at, there might not be a huge crowd, flashy program, or loud music. Sometimes it might just look like someone surfing with someone else, or getting coffee, or going to a movie, or weird adults showing up at freshman games. It can be exhausting and can test the patience of even the best leaders... but just like in the stories Jesus told, when we get to bring one of these sheep home... ITS TIME TO PARTY!

So, what do I do in Young Life? I get to search for God's lost sheep, his kids that seem to have wondered away, and begin the journey back home with them... even if it takes years, and even when its costly.

Please email me if you would like to be a part of this search and rescue mission! We are currently looking for leaders for all our clubs. There are opportunities to work with middle school students, high school students, and special needs kids.

Marco WyldLife

Ladera WyldLife Bonfire

Ladera WyldLife

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!

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.

Move Me Like the Ocean- Kyle Reynolds

Kyle Reynolds is one of our awesome Wyldlife leaders. 

He is also a very talented musician. 

Kyle is leaving this next year to work on music full-time. 

Kyle recently wrote a song that was inspired by his Young Life story. 

I asked him to write up an explanation on how the song came about. Below is his response.....

"Young Life has been apart of my life ever since I can remember and I've recently been fortunate enough to start leading music at Young Life camps. After seeing so many kids lives changed last year while playing music at Oakbridge, whether it was during "Say So" or just talking to kids throughout the week and seeing the Lord totally change their hearts, I was inspired to write this song. This song is about the kid  who is sitting in the back of the club room. This song is about me, you, and the person who has decided to go all in regardless of what is ahead and what they've been through. I hope this song can be sung and listened to as a prayer asking God to move us like the ocean. I want to step out of my comfort zone and allow God to fill me up with His strength and courage; and not rely on my own. In the chorus it says Move Me Like the Ocean, Move Me Like the Ocean, I still have my doubts, but it's time to step out in the ocean. I think this is something we can wake up every morning and ask the Lord. Everyday we have the choice to step out in the ocean, the unknown, and trust the Lord. All we have to do is say yes."

The lyrics to the song are below along with a link to his iTunes account. 

This month proceeds from the song will go back to Young Life. So take a moment and check out Kyle.

MOVE ME LIKE THE OCEAN

I know there’s  more to this at least that’s what I’ve been told

I feel alone and I’m so sick of it I need a place to call home

Can we forgive our past, lets go and not look back

move me like the ocean

Ocean

without a doubt you’re pulling me out of the ocean

Clouded by racing thoughts, I feel so far away

Told myself I’m doing fine, but was that just another lie to say

Can we forgive our past, lets go and not look back

move me like the ocean

Ocean

without a doubt you’re pulling me out of the ocean

move me like the ocean

Ocean

without a doubt you’re pulling me out of the ocean

Move Me Like the Ocean

-Dave

Young Life Bean Bag Tournament

Young Life isn't just for the kids, it's for the big kid inside you also!!!

Young Life is hosting a bean bag tournament to create a fun family filled day of Young Life. We will have things for the kids to do both big and small.

Please feel free to invite anyone you would like to join you in this tournament. 

Please sign up with the link below:

Sign Up

-Dave

Young Life Area Camping Trip 2015

For the past 3 years our area has made a tradition of going camping in the Spring. The reason we go is to build community among all the leaders, grow in the Lord, and rest. 

This year was another faithful example of how the Lord is blessing us. One of my highlights is when we talk about how and when we have seen God moving in our lives and ministry. 

There were a lot of "God Sighting's" this past year!!!

As an area we praised God in worship and in action. We had a solo time Saturday morning and communion together on Sunday. Each night we worshipped together and talk about God.

The Lord has been super faithful to our area once again. 

Enjoy the shots below from our very own Rachel Antoun

-Dave

Orange County Dodgeball Tournament 2015

Throughout each semester, we have a number of events that add some adventure into our group.  Last year, the annual OC Dodgeball Tournament was a fantastic night of games, team building, and winning (of course).

This year, we were able to take a group of 15 students and 5 leaders to represent South County.  The guys dressed to kill, the girls dressed for style.  We arrived early and began sizing up some of the other teams: San Clemente, Irvine, Tustin, and so on.  After some verbose trash talking, we began the fun of throwing rubber balls at one another as hard as we could.

In the end, we didn't win any championships, but we did all win free ice cream!  It was an evening to remember, and a great night to be in YoungLife.

Ladera Ranch WyldLife: The Bonfire

Bryce and Riley showing Jackson and Matthew how to roast a hot dog!

Last night we had a bonfire to end all bonfires! Matthew Patrella came with a truck full of wood, and so many more kids came than I was expecting. It was a blast!

Always a good time hanging by a fire.

We started the evening just hanging on the beach. Some kids played whiffle ball, while another group started a football game, and still another group decided to go for a swim. Everywhere I looked kids were having fun with leaders. It was awesome.

Is there a better way to spend an evening?

After a while we started roasting hot dogs over the fire. Sometimes an open fire roasted hot dog just hits the spot, and Paden and Reese both agreed with me. I think Paden ate 5 and Reese had about 6. All the kids had fun making their hot dogs, and luckily, even though I was expecting 30 kids max, I bought enough for 50.

Ben, Jake, Henry, and Andrew decided to take a dip! Not too cold for them!

After the dogs we moved to s'mores. I love watching people gather around a fire, and so often really good conversations can happen as everyone is roasting marshmallows over a fire.

Drying off by the fire.

We ended the night playing a game called "cross the river." Its a super simple game but the kids love it, and it gives us leaders a chance to get to know them more.

Paden became a pro at roasting dogs!

Overall the night was a success. Sometimes all kids need is an evening where they get to be kids. It can be easy for me to think that I need to be talking about Jesus at everything we do, but I was reminded last night that pointing kids to Jesus involves much more than just talking about him. Hanging out with kids, getting to know them, letting them get to know you, and being with them even when things get kinda crazy points them to Jesus without using words. When we do that, we are acting like Jesus. He wants to be with us, he wants us to be with him, and he always stays close even when we go totally crazy… even when we make the worst decisions or completely ignore him. Showing kids Jesus' love is so much more than just talking about it.

That's why we do things like having bonfires, and letting kids run around like crazy middle schoolers on the beach!

The girls had a blast too… and that sunset was amazing!

Prayer in High Rollers

A couple times a year club will end a bit sooner than expected. One of my favorite things to do when that happens is to ask for Prayer Requests. Our students love this! It gives them a time to share whats really on their hearts. It gives them a time to know that what they request is heard and will actually be prayed for. 

I know some people don't realize the power of prayer but I promise you that these guys do. They know they can give their requests to God and it will be honored. This is just one of many lessons I have learned from the High Rollers in the time I have spent with them.

Below was the prayer requests from the other night.

-Dave

Ladera WyldLife: Truly Thankful

Nathan went to work on the Red Velvet cake!

I never know what the Friday before a long break will be like. I didn't know if we would have a smaller group today, if it would be the same, or if kids would be excited or tired or what... but today was awesome! 

Jack and Shane were super bummed they had to eat cake this morning... not!

We had a lot of amazing kids come out this morning, and there was so much energy... it could have had something to do with all the sugar, but who knows!! The game today was inspired by one of the 7th graders, Skylar. Last week Skylar was a little late and the doughnuts were all gone. When we asked him what his favorite doughnut was he told us it was "double fudge cake." Grant was inspired and suggested we play a game called, "Let them eat cake!"

Friday mornings are so great.

Basically, it goes like this: Kids, in groups of 10 or so, sit at a table with a cake in the middle. They are given a dice and when the game starts they must roll the dice. The keep rolling until they roll a 6, then the person who rolled the 6 starts eating the cake. They keep eating until the next person rolls a 6, then that person starts eating and the person eating before stops. 

The girls weren't scared!

The game continues until the cake is gone. Today, some of the cakes were giant, so there was for sure cake left over. I think the halls of LMRS might have some cake crumbs today! I think the 6th grade boys won; they demolished a homemade cake made with love by Grant.

Skylar, bottom left, was the inspiration for this game!

While this game was fun, today was all about being thankful. After the game we broke up into our typical small groups, and looked at several verses in the Bible that give us some things we can be thankful for. 

In a place like South Orange County, and almost anywhere, it can be so easy to see everything we don't have, or everything we want and lose focus on all that we have. I know I am like this often. I love getting into new hobbies, so there is always a laundry list of toys that I want, from new running shoes, to different surfboards and snowboards, I always have a list.

It goes deeper than that though. Often I find myself thinking about all the things I don't have that I think I should have, or that I think I need. More money, a bigger and better place to live, a better car, more for our kids, more time for Candice and I to spend with each other... more, and more, and more.

There was once a cake there.

Thinking too much about what I don't have or what I want is like allowing myself to get sucked into a black hole. It really doesn't do anyone any good, and I find that my attitude becomes worse the longer I think about it. Its natural to have desires and to want things, that's not wrong and I think God enjoys dreaming with us, but when it becomes compulsive, or leads to an overall feeling of entitlement or that what I don't have is more important than what I do have, it can become toxic for my heart.

Earlier this month I watched a movie called, "Ragamuffin," about the life of a singer/songwriter named Rich Mullins. The movie is super low-budget, but the story is wonderful. There was a part in the movie when Rich is being asked about a song he wrote for his wedding day. Rich never got married and the song was called, "Doubly Good to You." The guy asking the question said something to the effect, "How can you say God has been doubly good to you when you never got married?" Rich's said, almost without hesitation, "Well, God doesn't have to be good to me at all, but he is."

This is the amazing thing about God. He doesn't have to care for us, love us, give us gifts or anything else... but he does, and he always will!

The first verse we looked at today was Psalm 136:1-3. The Psalms were prayers and songs that Israel would sing,. They are beautiful and can be a great way for us to interact with God even today. This Psalm goes like this, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." No matter what is happening in our lives, we can be thankful for God's love. While love is often thought of in relation to an emotion or desire, this is talking about something deeper. This is talking about a self-sacrificing love that works for the other person's interest. This is the love God has for each of us. It is an active love that is never-ending and extremely powerful.

The second selection of verses came from the book of Psalms again. It was from a Psalm that has been speaking to my heart for a few weeks now, Psalm 139. If you have a chance, I suggest you read it. If you don't have a Bible, you can just click here Psalm 139 or google it. The whole thing is about how deeply God knows us, and how we are made on purpose. The section we looked at dealt with how God is always close, and there is nowhere we can run from him. That God is a God who pursues, always, that he never leaves us, and will follow us even as we walk aways from him... that is something to be thankful for! Its hard to imagine that kind of God, most of us have never known a relationship with another like that, but that is the truth about God. He will never leave, and we can't run from him. Even when it feels as if we are in the dark and God is nowhere to be found, he is right there... even if we start getting angry and doubting him or trying to push him away, he is right there, actively loving us as we are.

So with this in mind some of the groups read Hebrews 13:5, "Keep you lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" Why is it so hard to be content sometimes? I know I am not always content, and at times it seems that it isn't possible to be content. At times it seems like being content would be foolish... but what I have to be content in isn't the "stuff" I have, or related to wealth or lack of it, but God's presence and love. That, I have more than I will ever need. 

I don't know how this is hitting you right now, maybe this seems like some sort of "pie in the sky" positive thinking deal. Maybe you don't believe God is loving, that he cares for you personally, or that he even exists. Maybe you are having a really tough year, and it seems what you have lost is leaving such a hole that life seems unmanageable. Or maybe you just really like having nice things and lots of toys... I don't know, but I do know that there isn't enough stuff or things or even people on this planet to truly fulfill a human's desire. We are wired to desire something so great that only the creator of all of creation can fulfill it... and he loves doing so. 

So, if you find yourself ungrateful right now, I hope you don't feel guilty. That is where you are, and God loves you just the same. I would encourage you to try to think about one or two things that you can be thankful for. Being ungrateful is like a prison, it keeps us from experiencing life, but it doesn't take much to escape that prison. Thinking of one thing to be thankful for can change the course, and often lead to other things to be thankful for... and this will lead to a freer way of living, one that feels lighter.

I pray you do come to know and trust the love of God for you this season. I pray you can be thankful that God knows you, loves you like crazy, and will never leave you no matter what. I pray that if you haven't experienced this you open to the possibility that you were made to be in a loving relationship with a Another so much greater than you.

Finally, if you want to talk with your kid about WyldLife this morning, ask them about the cake game, and how much cake they ate, and then ask them about what we talked about being thankful for. I pray and hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you come to be truly thankful for all that you have.

Giving thanks.