Flip Flops, the choice of a generation

As I spend my days hanging out with HS students, one thing that I notice is their choice of shoes. It seems that Flip Flops are taking over the world. If you look at the feet of 10 HS student at least half of them will be wearing Flip Flops, regardless of weather. So I decided to put together a list of why so many people in this generation have chosen the Flip Flop as their friend.

1.They are versatile and dependable
2.When you fell lonely they are there for you
3.Your feet have the opportunity to “breathe” when you wear them
4.Jesus wore them so should we
5.They make my toes happy
6.I don’t have to take the time to put on shoes
7.There is an unstated bond between you and others who also wear them
8.If for some reason you should need to kick someone in the face you can slide off your Flip Flops real fast and pose like “Daniel Son” from Karate Kid and this would intimidate your opponent immediately
9.The Rainbows on some Flip Flops remind me of Luck Charms cereal and how could that not be awesome
10.Most people know that Chuck Norris invented Flip Flops and I wear them so he will not kill me

Varsity

There are so many crazy things happening at Varsity these days it is hard to keep up. The new building is so crazy awesome I can't even begin to tell yo how amazing it is. Students are showing out every week and bringing their friends. We just started a group called Life Hurts God Heals. It is a recovery based program modeled after Celebrate Recovery. I get pretty emotional when I think about students breaking free from addiction and finding peace in pain. I am very excited about our upcoming series, MIRACLES. I am sure that God has so much he wants to teach us and I know that he wants to see miracles happen in the lives of our students. God is rocking at Varsity, and God is rocking me!

What a beautiful day!

For the past two weeks the much needed rain has blanketed the upstate keeping me from riding my motorcycle to and from work. Although I am glad we got the rain I am not glad I have had to drive my gas drinking truck when gas prices went to over 4 dollars a gallon. I wish there was something we could do to lower the prices, but honestly I doubt that we will stop our busy lives long enough to actually think about refusing to put up with this any longer. It is sort of frustrating, but I can't really complain because I, like you, stand there and throw my hard earned money right down the proverbial drain. I really don't have a good solution to the problem but I am doing my part. I bought a motorcycle that gets 36 miles to a gallon. I love it. Anyway, today was beautiful day for a ride. Thank you Jesus for nice weather.

Why Chinese Buffets are the most amazing places on earth.

I think Chinese buffets are the most amazing places on earth and here is why.

1.It is a place where you can eat as much as you want to.
2.You can not come back to the restaurant for weeks at a time and no one gets mad at you
3.Can anyone say “imitation crab”?
4.I feel very important because I am usually the largest guy in the room.
5.If you and a friend are mad at each other you can go to a Chinese buffet and the relationship will be immediately restored because the place is so awesome.
6.I think Jesus invented China!
7.There is no other place other than heaven where you can get hot wings, fried rice, and a grilled pork chop all at the same time.
8.You can eat with a fork if you choose to do so.
9.The Diet Pepsi is amazing.
10.MSG should make you live longer. It keeps food edible all day long. That should work on humans as well.

I know that many of you may disagree. That is ok. It leaves more for me.

Blogging

Because my friend over at 3amjosh.com has compelled me to jump back into the blogging world, I am going to make an effort to blog every day for the next 30 days. After that I am going to decide whether or not I will continue. Until then I am compiling a list of topics that you, my readers, might be interested in. Here are a few ideas.

1. Why Chinese Buffets are the most amazing places on earth.
2. What does "Change" really mean?
3. "Flip Flops" the choice of a generation.
4. Gravy??? How, when, and why!
5. President??? Do we really have to?

These are just a few of the things that I am going to be blogging about over the next few weeks and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

I think that when I say "my readers" we all know what I mean. Thanks for reading Mom!

Where is the Passion?

This past Saturday, my Family and I went out to watch the Clemson Tigers take on North Carolina State. To be honest I am not really that impressed with the Tigers this year for several reasons.

1. Lack of Leadership - I am not on the field wit the guys, but it seems that no one is stepping up to take this team to the next level. These guys are no longer in high school. If we are going to compete on a national level it will take more than hype and recruiting to get it done. I am looking to see the sidelines filled with players pushing one another to win.

2. We do not have a mentality of winning - If we are going to be a successful football program we must think, believe, and act like we are winners. We are too busy pulling out our memorabilia from the Danny Ford days hoping that one Saturday they will roll him up to the sidelines in a hospital bed to lead us to our second National Title in the schools history. Why not just try winning the next game. This was the problem with the Alabama game. We walked into that game thinking that our ranking would get it done. Not gonna happen. If the players and the coaches could start thinking and believing that we are winners, I believe that our football team could move from mediocrity to success.

3. Lack of Passion - If I have to watch the Clemson Tigers run down that hill hill one more time like they could care less about what they are going down there to do, i am going to puke. What ever happened to the days of passion and zeal. It is pretty awesome watching Skip Holtz lead ECU to a winning season. Those guys are playing like they believe!

If anyone reads this blog who is a South Carolina Fan and you hate Clemson, go ask God to forgive you and send me an apology for being evil.

What do you think of this?

Weekends are Awesome

I love the weekend. It makes me happy. This weekend I have spent a lot of time with Renae and the boys. I installed a security system in my house. I watched some movies. I went to the mall and bought sugar free chocolate. It was not that bad but not worth the 4 bucks it cost me. This guy and I spent a lot of time sitting in chairs in the mall while we watched people walk by. Very random weekend and very random post.

Theophostic Prayer Counseling

I had a long session this morning with a Theophostic prayer counselor. All I can say is WOW. I am blown away by the human mind and it's ability to totally be jacked up. If you are in ministry, or breathing for that mater, you should check it out. God has a plan to heal our minds to help us better serve others.

Thank God for Senior Pastors

It seems to me that the office of a Student Pastor is the revolving door of ministry. I heard the other day that most Student Ministers are out of the ministry within 18 months. What the heck? I want to make sure that I stand the test of time in ministry and finish strong.
Earlier this week I wrote about "The Bishop" and his talk on leadership. This has caused me to continue reading and studying Exodus 17 and our role as "not the Pastor". Here are a few thoughts from the scripture that God gave me this week in relation to our role as a "junior leader" and how we can support the Senior Pastor. If we can keep a healthy view of what God has called us to do we can make it.

vs 8. I am in a battle and I am under attack

vs 9. The Senior Pastor has a plan and a vision and as a "junior leader" I am here to support and help fulfill that vision.

vs. 10 Always follow the leadership of your Senior Pastor. The stakes are too high to try and go at it alone.

vs.11 Our success in ministry is directly connected to the faithfulness and leadership of the Senior Pastor

vs. 12 There is lots of pressure associated with the role of the Senior Pastor. Senior Pastors get tired and need others to support them.

vs. 13 Our ability to win the battle is a result of the Senior Pastor and those closest to him working hard to stay close to God.


These are just a few thoughts about how God designed our role to function as Student Ministers.

Strike the Rock

Exodus 17:5 5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.[b] Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

God is rocking my world this week with this passage. As I study this passage one thing sticks out to me in a huge way and that is the phrase "strike the rock". Here at Varsity we are about to strike the rock with a vengeance! I really like that phrase and I saw it over in another passage.

I Corinthians 10:4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.

Moses struck the rock and God made water flow from that rock to give the people something to drink. In I Corinthians we see that the rock was Jesus! Here is the deal! In the same way people are thirsty for water they have a thirst for Christ. We are going to strike the rock and give them JESUS!

You can plan, promote, prepare and produce the greatest movement in the world but, if you do not give people Jesus then you have failed. Here at Varsity we are striking the rock and pray that Jesus flows and people never thirst again.

Leadership

I listened to a great message today on leadership by the Bishop TD Jakes. He spoke on the ten commandments of leadership. I am blown away by his insight and love for Jesus. I know that in order for us to lead we need others to speak truth into our lives. I have key people in my life that speak truth to me on a consistent basis. The Bishop was added to that list today. I know that he most likely we will not meet on a weekly basis but hopefully I can continue to be encouraged by him in other ways. Who are some people who speak truth in your life?

Twitter

How long do you think twitter will last?? It seems to me that it may be a fad but I really love it. I can update from my phone. That makes me happy. Let me know what you think.

What is your Dream???

Tonight I am watching the movie "The Astronaut Farmer". Here are a few thoughts.


Are you dreaming?
Is your family dreaming with you?
Do they support your dream?
Can you accomplish dream under your own power?
If everyone told you that it is impossible for your dream to become a reality would you continue?
Have you given your family a dream to buy into?
Does anyone think you are crazy?

Just a few questions.

"By God's grace may we not die with our dreams still in our hearts"

Mother's Day 08

This morning I did a search on Youtube for Trisomy 18 and watched a few videos about families of children with Trisomy 18. It is a sobering thought that 90% of these Children don't make it to their first birthday. That makes this day for my wife an extra special day!
Not only has Dawson made her a mother, we have little DJ. These boys are so blessed to have my wife as their mother! I love you baby. Happy Mother's Day!

Varsitysecrets.com

Varsitysecrets.com has had over 5000 hits since April 8th. WOW. I can't believe that. This series has really shown me that Students want a place to be honest and are crying out for help. We are here to help them find a relationship with Christ and become all that God wants them to be. This week we are dealing with SEXUAL SECRETS. Kinda scary. Pray for our students as we take on this tough issue.

My Secret

Me Secret is a series that we are doing in Varsity. For the past two weeks we have covered addiction and lying. This week we are talking about sexual secrets and I know that God is going to do something great in the hearts of our students. Please pray for the students who God wants to set free this week. Check out www.varsitysecrets.com.

Crazy Week

Lots of things happening this week. Started a new counseling today and I feel very drained from the experience. I have a question...If you read this and think it is cool...leave a comment and tell me...if you read this and think it could be better...let me know as well. check out twitter.com

Switchfoot

I heard these guys answer questions about ministry in front of a room full of Youth Pastors. It was great to hear how God is using them to make a difference. Jon Foreman rocked my face.

Chicago

Willow Creek is pretty sweet and the Shift conference is mostly good. Shaine Claiborne rocked my socks today as he spoke about grace. I don't think I have ever met another person that reminds me more of Jesus than he does. BTW Twitter is the new Blog! Try it soon! www.twitter.com/joshbradley

Travel Update

Landed in Chicago on Sunday night after a very interesting flight. We have been checking out churches for two days and I am blown away with all the cool ppl I have met in the past couple of days. FOLLOW ME @ TWITTER.COM I am updating three, four times a day. I enjoy it much more than blogging.

Wednesday Night JUST HAPPENED!

Another week of Varsity is in the books and we are continuing to see students lives changed every week. I am so thankful for how God is working. We had more than 130 people there last night and I think that is awesome. The next series will begin April 16th and I know that people are going to freak when they hear what we are doing.

Hard Lessons

God is rocking me lately. I seem to be a pretty difficult learner. This past week in Mexico God really spoke to me about how I view people. It is easy for me to categorize people. I have no problem writing people off in a second. God is helping me to be more understanding of others and myself. Thank you Jesus for not leaving me the way you found me.

Mexico

Mexico was an incredible experience. There is a new fad for churches to move away from mission trip type experiences. I think it is tragic. I am glad Jesus or Paul did not have the same ministry plan. Anyway the trip was amazing and the students really came back changed. While I was gone these are the things that happened.
1. I was really sick (not better yet)
2. Renae was really sick (still sick)
3. Dawson went in the hospital b/c he was really really sick (he is home now)
4. DJ got sick (better)
5. A car full of robbers crashed right beside my house and are still on the loose
6. One of our team members crashed the van in Mexico (not that bad but thank God for insurance
7. One of our team members had a death in their family while we were gone

Wow that was a lot

Blogging

I never write Blogs!

Check it out!

Pastor on call

Every weekend one of the Pastors at this place are on call. This weekend it has been my turn and with the exception of one call it has been pretty quiet. I hope it stays that way! What have you been up to this weekend????
Click the button below and leave me a message to let me know.

JC is here!

This is pretty cool you should try it!

This video makes me very happy!

Pics of the Family

I love my boys!

Unquenchable

This week we start the series "Unquenchable". Worship is the topic and I cant wait to give this away during the service. Should be fun.

This is an AMAZING Album

Click Here
This is totally rockin my face right now!

This is the best commercial of the year.

Varsity

Mike Hepola rocked our socks off last night at Varsity. He did the 4th message in our series Xtreme Life. The kids loved it and they were blown away when we gave away an Xbox 360 for the guys and a day at the spa for the girls.

Text Me!

This makes me happy. Anyone in the world can send me a txt message by sending it to joshbradley@vtext.com. That is freakin awesome.

Homeless on Tuesday

We took some of our students to the Triune Mercy Center tonight to minister to the homeless people here in Greenville. It was great. Some students are really stretched by the experience and some are right at home. I love to see these guys acting like Jesus. It would be hypocritical to travel to another country to do mission work and forget about the people right here in our own city.

Monday: Not Long Enough

I don't know about you but it seems that Mondays fly by so fast that it seems like it never happened. I started working early this morning and I am lying in my bed right now trying to finish up. We need longer days on Mondays!

We did Led Zeppelin at Church Today!

Stairway to Heaven introduced the message about the life of Jacob. Pretty cool.

Varsity Leaders

I have the greatest group of adult leaders in the world. Last night we spent some time hanging out and talking about how we can better connect with students. We hooked up my laptop to a 46 inch flat panel and did a training session on Facebook and how to txt message from an email address. Bottom line is that the Adults at the Varsity are passionate about loving teenagers and connecting them to Jesus. How do you connect to the people around you?

Here is what God is teaching me.

It is easy to love people who are nice. Loving mean people however, is another story. It seems like I am constantly confronted with opportunities to love people. It is hard. It is not fun. I don't like loving people who are mean. God is helping me. I find direction in this verse.

I Corinthians 13:1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Free Xbox

I am on my way.

Memories

Does anyone remember church like this on Sunday Night?

Memories

Does anyone remember church like this on Sunday Night?