Every year I love to watch the Super Bowl but I also love to watch the commercials!  Here are my favorites from Sunday's Super Bowl...

I know... I know... This isn't a commercial but it totally caught me off guard!  I didn't even know a new Bourne movie was coming out... But I can tell you that I can't wait to watch it!

This was awesome!  "These changes don't ruin the song at all! Can we come in the box!?"

Love to see Steve Harvey owning what happened during the Miss Universe disaster!

Because who doesn't like wiener dogs dressed as hot dogs?!

Kevin Hart is just funny...

I don't know what this was but I was weirded out the whole time... However I can't get the tune out of my head!

What were your favorites?  What did I miss?

- Rick

The other day I came across this infographic from the company called PhoneSheriff.  As I spent time looking over the info that it presented, it showed me how much things have changed since I was a teenager and helped me understand a bit more what the majority of our students go through.

Here are a few things that standout:

1. 50% of video chat apps contain pornographic or obscene imagery - This is interesting because the question is no longer will students be exposed to pornography, but when.  As leaders/pastors, we must create a safe environment for our students so that they feel comfortable having conversations about sex with caring adults who will show them what God's Word has to say about the topic.
2. 25% of teens have been bullied repeatedly on their phones or online - It seems that bullying is everywhere and kids can't escape it.  Since they are accessible at all times, that means that they can be cyber bullied wherever their phone is.  Again, as leaders/pastors we must make sure that we are creating a safe environment where kids are told continually that they are accepted for who they are... that they belong just as they are!

Take a look at the graphic and let me know what you think!  What stands out to you?

- Rick

The other weekend we had one of my favorite services of the year... we call it our Student Takeover.  It is where our students takeover every aspect of our weekend services.  The parking lot, greeting, coffee and donuts, bulletins, ushering, worship, message all done by our students and youth team!  It seemed like we had students everywhere!  And guess what?  Everything survived... The services didn't fail.  The offering wasn't forgotten.  There weren't any accidents in the parking lot because a student dressed up in a horse costume was showing you where to park!  In fact, we heard from a lot of people that they loved the service and should do this more often!

Here are a few reasons why I love when students takeover!

1. The Church See Students As The Church - I struggle when I hear people say, "Students are the future of the church."  That is a false statement... they are the church now!  They are capable of leading the church today and I believe that God wants to use them!  Many of the great biblical movements were started by young people that God empowered to do great things!  When our students takeover, the adults in the church see them as capable young people that God is working in and through.  I appreciated what our pastor said the week after our Student Takeover, "It's comforting to know that if every old person in the church suddenly left, Oak Pointe would continue to run and grow because of our students."
2. God's Redeeming Work Is On Display - I truly believe that one of the greatest evidences of God's existence is how He transforms lives.  Throughout the course of the service, we sought to show how God is working in the lives of our students.  That took different forms, but it was cool to see our students declare who God is and what He is doing!  It was not about us or the ministry... it was about God's work in the lives of our students!
3. Students Are Put In Positions To Grow - Our students took over every job during the weekend services, and many of them had never led in that capacity before.  We had students greeting, ushering, leading worship, helping with coffee and donuts, and working in the parking lot.  This is was foreign to them but it forced them to rely on God and trust Him to work through them during the services.  Every student did an awesome job and I continually heard from the adults in our church that they loved our students working in their jobs.  I love when our students grow and exceed our expectations!

I love when students takeover.  I love when students grow.  I love when the adults praise God for our students.  I love being apart of a church that trusts our students to takeover.  Below are a few of the videos from our services.  The first is the youth team giving the announcements and the second is a testimony video of our students on why they love the ROCK and 707.  The third video is a spoken word testimony that one of students wrote and prepared for our services... It was a major highlight of the service!

Has your church ever had a student takeover?  What is your favorite part when students takeover?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick

As I sit here Christmas morning, I can't help but reflecting on something that God revealed to me.  I woke up early... really early.  I didn't wake up because of the excitement of what Santa brought and put under the tree, but because (I believe) God wanted to spend some time with me and speak words of encouragement and love to me.  So as I prepared my coffee and sat down with my Bible, I began to read the letter Paul wrote to Titus.  Within this letter, God spoke to me through four seemingly small verses:

In these four verses, God reminded me of two important things:

1. No Christmas... No Grace - It's easy to get caught up in the presents, the tree, the lights, the food, the family... all good things, but they are not the most important thing.  We celebrate Christmas because Christmas is the birth of Jesus.  Without the birth of Jesus, then God's grace would not have been revealed to us.  God chose to show us His grace through Jesus!  I like the way Tony Merida describes God's grace, "The grace of God refers to His unmerited favor, His goodness and kindness, His compassion and mercy demonstrated to undeserving sinners."  That's grace... God's undeserved favor towards me a sinner!  God's grace showed up in the form of a baby named Jesus to bring salvation to all people!  Jesus was born to show me grace.  So simply put... No Jesus, no grace.
2. No Christmas... No Hope - God reminded me that God's grace is also accompanied by His glory!  As I live in the world today, I am continually reminded that this earth is not my home and this world is not where I will spend eternity.  However, right now I am called to wait.  I am waiting for "that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed."  Titus 2:11-14 shows us two appearances... the appearance of God's grace through the birth of Jesus and we wait for the appearance of God's glory when He will come and establish His kingdom here on earth.  Both appearances speak of one person: Jesus.  Without Christmas, there would be no Jesus and ultimately no hope for the future that God has for me.  With a constant gaze and the experience of grace, our eyes are fixed heavenward with one and only one hope: His coming!*

Paul writes that God's grace and glory can be summed up in one simple word... Jesus.  God has offered His grace and glory to all people!

So this Christmas I choose to celebrate Jesus... not my family, not what's under the tree or in a stocking hung by the chimney with care... I choose to celebrate the grace that has been given to me by God who came in the form of a baby to endure a cross for my sin.  I choose to celebrate the fact that Jesus took away the penalty, the power and will ultimately take away the presence of sin in my life.  That is Christmas and I am so thankful God reminded me of that this morning.

Merry Christmas!

- Rick

* Platt, David, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2013. 281. Print.

Dear Friends and Family,

Well the truth is we never left for Kansas. Sadly, 24 hours before we were to fly out, we got a call from our attorney advising us not to come. This event was one that began from a series of events in the birth mom’s life we were unaware of, and that more than likely, involved another individual. Although we don’t know, and may never know, the true reason she changed her mind, at this point, we will not be adopting this baby boy.

Our hearts are broken as we grieve the loss of this child and the loss of another dream. Although there is a possibility she could, again, change her mind in the hospital, our focus right now is separating ourselves from this situation and seeking Christ.

Despite this very difficult loss we are very thankful for all your prayers and support to us in this process. We have a Hope that is bigger than this loss. It is in that Hope we put our trust, lives, and dreams in. We are so thankful this holiday season is a reminder that Christ came down as hope for all of us. He is hope for this broken world, hope for an eternity with him celebrating with all those we have lost, and hope of the promise he will never leave us despite the trials in this world.

As we grieve, we are thankful for hope and we are thankful for all of you. We ask that you would continue to pray, as the baby will be born tomorrow (Wednesday, December 3rd). Please continue to pray for:

• The birth mom- her health both physically and emotionally as she prepares to deliver this child.

• The child’s health as he enters this world.
• That God’s will would be done in this situation. If God’s will is for this adoption please pray that God would speak to her heart and the hearts of others around her. If it is not adoption pray God speaks to our hearts about what his plans are for us.
• Pray for us as we grieve this loss. Pray that God would heal our hearts and that we would resist the anger, frustration, and self doubt that can come from this. Pray our only hope would rest in Christ and that we would not hold onto the possibility she will, again, change her mind, but for God’s will to be accomplished.

We continue to be overwhelmed with love and support from you. It helps in not only the good times, but the times of trouble too. Thank you for everything you have done and what you continue to do to support our growing family.

For those of you who gave money, please know that we are beyond grateful. Regardless of the outcome your support helped this mother be stable and safe, if even for just a few months. To us, that is so meaningful. God has given us a heart for this birth mom. However, we realize you gave to help our little family of three (yes, we always count Gus our dog) become a family of four. Since this is a failed adoption, our intent is to pay you back.

Thank you again for all you do for us. We will send one last update when the adoption is closed.

Love,
Rick and Danielle

Last week at the ROCK, we spent some time talking about some important things to do so that we see God's Word bear fruit in our lives.  Simple truths but impactful if practiced regularly.  If you want to see God's Word change your life, you must:

• READ IT - The first thing you need to do is crack open the cover.  Sometimes that’s the toughest thing to do… but it’s essential to allowing the Bible to change your life.  When I think of reading God’s Word I think of three things that help make this successful: 1. Time: When will you spend time reading?  Choose a consistent time during the day to read God’s Word… morning or evening?  2. Territory: Where will you spend time reading?  Get away from distractions and consistently meet God in the same place everyday.  3. Translation: What will you read?  There are lots of translations of the bible, some easier to read and some harder to read.  Get a Bible Translation that you can understand.  The NIV Student Bible is a great one to use.

With that topic floating around in my head, I saw an article on Facebook that intrigued me.  The article was from Relevant Magazine and it discussed some tips that you should take advantage of when you read the Bible.  I thanked God for the timely advice and thought there were some great tips that are worth sharing!  Here were a few of my favorite tips that they shared:

• Read ‘King’ When You See ‘Christ.’ - Christ, or Messiah, means “anointed one,” and priests and kings were anointed. Substituting "King Jesus" for "Christ Jesus" when reading draws attention to the fact that Christ was not Jesus' last name, but in fact His title: one of great honor and esteem. Making that one switch alone breathes new life into reading the New Testament.

• Read ‘You’ Differently - Almost all the "you" words in the New Testament are plural you's rather than singular you's. The Southern "y'all" expresses it beautifully: the epistles are written to believers corporately, not believers alone. This does not diminish personal responsibility at all, though. If anything, it heightens it: we pray together, believe together, suffer together, raise the armor of God together. All y'all.

• If You See a ‘Therefore,’ Find Out What It’s There For - Therefore, take note in bibles where paragraphs are divided up with headings inserted by editors. If the paragraph begins with "therefore,” you might have to pick up a bit earlier to understand the context.

• Remember What You Learned in English Class - The Bible is not an instruction manual. It's not a "how-to" book for life. It is a collection of 66 books of literature, and to interpret it correctly, you need to remember what you learned in English class about interpreting different genres of literature.  Biblical truth is found in poetry, but we must read it as poetry. It is found in narrative, but we must read those as stories. It is found in proverbs, and we must treat those as such. Just a quick moment to think “what book am I reading from? And what type of literature is this?” can make a world of difference. Truth be told, the Bible is not an easy read, but it is absolutely worth the effort.

• Read to Study. But Also, Read to Refresh Your Heart - Amid the hours of serious Bible study, I treasured this advice. Sometimes, we read to study and understand and wrestle with the truth. But sometimes, we read to make our hearts happy. “Delight yourself in the Lord,” for “your words are sweeter to me than honey.”

Check out the whole article and see what are some of your favorite tips on reading God's Word.  What are some of your tips for reading the Bible?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick

God has been taking Danielle and I on a journey these past four years.  This journey has involved hearing God's voice and following His leading in a specific area of our lives.  Through God's faithful leading and wonderful people like you, Danielle and I are excited to announce that we are preparing to adopt a baby!  We have been chosen by a birth mother who is having a baby boy and is due at the beginning of December.  With God's leading and provision, we are hoping to bring home our baby and begin our family.  Before we explain how you can partner with us in starting our family, I'd like to share a bit of our story with you.

A few years ago, God broke our hearts for the fatherless.  Our eyes were opened to the overwhelming need not only around the world but right here in our backyard.  Not only were our hearts broken and our eyes opened, but we were also convicted by the Spirit of God as to what our role in the lives of orphans must be...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

God has also shown me not only my role, but how adoption is a huge part of my story too!  I was a slave to sin, but through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross I was brought into God's family.  He adopted me!  I have been made His son through the forgiveness that Jesus offers me through the cross.  What is crazy to me is that God chose this before the world was created... He knew all of my sin that I was going to commit and He still chose to adopt me into His family as His son!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. - Ephesians 1:3-6

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. ... Beloved, we are God's children now... - 1 John 3:1-2

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. - Galatians 3:25-26

 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. - Romans 8:14-17

Much of the beauty of the gospel is shown in adoption.  Danielle and I have committed to have the gospel saturate every area of our lives... our marriage, our relationships with others, our jobs, our finances... everything!  Adoption is one way that we can show others the beauty of the gospel!

Needless to say... we are so excited!  The more we sought God's direction on this, the more that it became clear that God's plan for us was to adopt.  God has been leading us through this process for years and we are so excited to bring home our baby.  We are learning more and more details about our baby but one thing has been certain... that God is perfectly orchestrating this big event in our life and we couldn't be more excited!  Our ultimate desire is to care for the birthmother and bring home a child for our family!

We don't want our adoption to just be our story though.  We would love to invite you in and play a role in Danielle and I beginning our family.  There are a few ways for you to help us:

1. Prayer.  We are asking that you would commit to praying for us... Regularly!  Pray that we would find a birth mother, that finances would come together and that we would be ready.
2. Financially.  Adoption is expensive.  If you would like to support us financially in bringing home our baby, please click here or you can mail checks or cash to us at:

          The Barry Family
          46536 Greenridge Drive,
          Northville, MI 48167
    3.   Stay updated on here or at Danielle's blog, thebarrygoodlife.wordpress.com, to hear all the news on           
          what's going on with our adoption.

Thank you, in advance, for your heart for our family. We are sincerely grateful for your partnership with us and we can't wait to see where God takes us and this baby that God has provided for us.  Please feel free to contact Danielle and I if you have any questions and we'd love to answer them for you!

- Rick

I have said it before, but I'll say it again... I believe that youth ministry is not only essential but it is vital to the body of Christ.  As youth workers, we play important roles in the lives of teenagers that are essential to the spiritual development of teenagers.

I recently read a great article from youthministry360 that discussed the roles that youth workers play in teenagers lives.  Here is a quick recap of the roles:

1. REINFORCER: You reinforce the message that their parents are telling them.  However, because you are a non parent figure in their lives, it will make a different impact.  
2. DECOMPRESSOR: When we meet with students, we give them an opportunity to vent and decompress from what is going on in their lives.  We have the opportunity then to reinforce the truth or point them to the truth.
3. CONFIDANT: Students often struggle in confiding in their parents because they don't feel comfortable.  As youth workers, we provide a safe place for students to confide in when they don't feel comfortable enough to talk with their parents.
4. ROLE MODEL: We have the opportunity every week to model what it looks like to pursue Christ above all else.  I often say that we have the ability to be the spiritual father or mother of students.
5. TEACHER: We are able to teach students about the love of Christ and how to grow in that relationship.

These roles of essential in the live of teenagers.  Click here to read the article.  This got me thinking... What are other roles that youth workers play in the lives of teenagers?  Can you think of any?  Comment and let me know!

- Rick