Thank You For Your Prayers and Support

I am back home in Onalaska. I was actually delayed in Pittsburgh for another night. On the way back to the church from the retreat, we noticed that my flight was delayed 45minutes due to an inbound aircraft problem. We kept checking it through the afternoon. It seemed as though each time we checked, it was further delayed. At about 7:30pm, I decided it best to stay another night, and fly out the next morning. At that time, the flight was scheduled to leave PIT at 9:43pm and arrive at MSP around 11:30pm. It helped that I was staying with my good friend Jim and his wife Steph. We made a night of it, and the fellowship was worth it.

However, that led to an early rise in the morning. I woke-up at 5:00am EST to get to the airport in time for my flight. I landed in Minneapolis at 10:30am. I arrived back to Onalaska at 2:00pm. Needless to say, it has been a very long day.

Thank you for your prayers thoughout the weekend. That means a lot to me. I told the students at the retreat that there were people praying for them, and for me. Thanks for being a part of it all!

Final Thoughts

How would you know if what you said was getting across to teenage students? How would you know what to say, or how to say it? You can prepare for hours, in fact months. You can write down lots of ideas, sort through what seems to be endless thoughts. You can worry, fret, or become discouraged with what you processing. Then, you stand in front of 54 people. All looking at you, waiting for you to deliver God’s message. They anticipate good things, and wait on your every word. You look into their eyes, and you see hunger. You see discouragement. You see brokenness. You can’t help but feel some of their pain. You also see joy. You see contentment. You can’t help but wonder why God has put you in this position. Of all people in this world, why would He choose you to bring His message to a bunch of suburban Pittsburgh teenagers?

Then you start to see fruit. You see fruit that can only be explained by the Holy Spirit working. You start to sense that hearts are being touched. Lives are potentially being changed for eternity. You see people breaking down in tears. Others hugging one another and bringing comfort. You see people laughing, as though they were laughing with a joy that only God could give. Slowly, one by one they come up you and ‘thank’ you for sharing. They look into your eyes, and you see a genuine gratefulness.

It hits you. It humbles you. It causes you to look upward toward the Heavens and rejoice in Jesus. It can’t be you. There is no way. You didn’t even stick to your notes or to what you spent so much time preparing. However, you know in your heart that it was never you speaking. It was the Holy Spirit. You are overwhelmed with encouragement in the Lord. A peace that passes all understanding now rules in your heart.

You walk knowing that God worked. That God again proved His Lordship over all. You walk away rejoicing. You walk away in prayer for those who just got hit hard, like a deer getting hit by a car. You pray that God will continue to nurture their souls. That God will send to them people who can encourage them and lift them up. You walk away, knowing that you have done what God has asked you to do. Now you pray that God will protect your thoughts and your heart. You pray that God will keep you from thinking the wrong things. That you won’t become discouraged. That you will be content with what was said. You pray that God’s Words would resonate in your heart, as well in the students’ hearts.

What a joy that would be. What a great thing to be a part of. Praise to Him who saves us, so that we may do His good work.

The Group

Here is the entire group right before we left Pine Valley Bible Camp.

Retreat Report From Pittsburgh

My weekend with the students of Ruthfred Lutheran Church has been a very good one. My good friend Jim Clark, who is the Youth Director of the church, brought 49 students with 5 adults. It was quite a treat to watch them in action. Each student showed compassion towards others. There were no cliques or exclusiveness. Everyone said ‘hello’ to whoever they saw. I don’t recall a time when I saw that last. I was quite impressed. These students are amazing. They have great things to share. God is really do a Great Thing here in Pittsburgh.

Our weekend has been pretty full. It is a lot of sitting around and fellowshipping with each other. That seems to be the norm for many youth groups. I have had chance to talk with several people. I have had conversations that have been pretty intense, as well as light-hearted.

Each session has gone well. I guess I really don’t know for sure. I can never tell. I see evidence of God working though. I hope and pray that lives have been changed for eternity. They have been very attentive. On Saturday night, the title of the session was “Who Holds Your Remote?” At the end of my session they performed a human video. It was simply awesome, and all God. It was a video about slavery to sin. At the end, Jesus comes and takes the burden of that slavery, and the person is set free. It was very powerful. After, there was chance for people to respond to Jesus. Many stayed behind to pray or be there for each other. There were many tears shed in the room. You could sense God at work. You could see lives being touched. It was an awesome site!

My time here has been good. It has been refreshing. The fact that God is in control was clearly evident throughout. That has been our theme, God’s control of our lives, and our total dependence on Him. My heart has been touched. It has also been convicted and encouraged. I will walk with great joy in my heart.

Thank you for your prayers for me this weekend. I know that you were. They made quite a difference. I told the students here that you were praying for them. It is good to know that we have Christian brothers and sisters praying for us across this nation. Brothers and sisters in the Lord that we have never met. What a great thing!

Last Preparation

It is Friday at noon here in Pittsburgh. We are now in final preparations for the retreat, which starts tonight at 6:00pm est. As I was reading last night before I went to bed, the Lord directed me in another direction for Saturday morning's session. I was very shaky about that one, and was very unsure of how to communicate it. I worked it out this morning, and made some adjustments in the direction of the session. I feel more confident now. I know that it is God's leading. Since being here, it seems as though He has made it clear He is in control, and there is nothing to worry about. That has given me peace. That has served as a reminded to 'rest' in Him, and allow Him to do what He wishes to accomplish. For that, I am excited. Thanks again for your prayers! I am not sure of whether or not I will be able to BLOG at the retreat . . . so it could be until Sunday until I am able to post again. However, you never know.

PENS WIN!!!!!

For those of you who are not Hockey Fans, perhaps you won't want to read this post. The Pittsburgh Penguins completely destoyed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. The game had everything! Great fights! A Hat-Trick by Malkin. The Pens came from a 1-0 deficit. The nachos were great, and the crowd was electric! We had great seat, thanks to Jeremiah - one of the senior high guys in the youth group. It was simply awesome! It felt good to be back cheering for the Pens. I had spent quite a lot of time in that building before cheering for the Pens. Now it's onto some business, God's business. I am thankful for His provision in the game. We had a great time, and that was very encouraging to me. I know that God has a great plan for this weekend, in spite of me feeling a bit frantic. More praise to Him, for He knows what He is doing! Scroll down for some more pics!

More Pics from the Game

This guy was great! He got our section, and eventually the whole arena yelling, "Go Home Tor-ron-to!" It was quite entertaining.

This is my good friend Jim. We were looking for some good fights, and we got them! However, it wasn't between us.

Safe In Pittsburgh

Greetings from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania! After an early departure from home in Onalaska, I am safe in the Pittsburgh area. I had a bit of car trouble on the way up, but nothing that delayed me. The airplane ride was un-eventful, which was good. I had a brief lunch with my good friend Jim Clark, and now am waiting to head to the Pens game tonight downtown.

I did a little more work on Saturday morning's lesson, and feel a little better about it. However, I hope to do some more refinement tomorrow during the day. Continue to pray for clarity through God's Word. Pray for insights on how to better communicate some of the points. Pray that God's Spirit will be at work in and through me.

I do appreciate your prayers! I know that they are making a difference already. I will keep you posted here on our blog. Thanks for your support.

From PA,
dk