Jamie Pope

Tonight is Jamie Pope's last night to speak to our students here at FBCBA. Jamie and Whitney are moving to Keller, Texas where he will serve as Student Pastor at Fellowship of the Parks Church. Jamie has been the Associate Student Pastor here for the past 3 and a half years and it has been an absolute blast serving alongside Jamie this past year and a half and I am so excited about his future ministry and the opportunity that God has opened up for he and Whitney. We will miss you guys. Students come out tonight to hear him preach one last time.

Congratulations to our Pastor, Nick Garland

Our Pastor, Nick Garland, celebrates 25 years of service here in Broken Arrow. There are very few Pastors that reach this milestone. The impact he has made in this area and across the world is overwhelming. It is such a joy to serve under his leadership and to listen to his incredible preaching every week. We are blessed to be a part of such a significant time in his life and the life of our church.

New Girls' Minister Search

We are beginning the search for a new Girls' Minister here at First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow. Our beloved Staci Warlick is getting married in December and moving on to do ministry with her husband in Houston. We are sad to see her go but we believe that God has someone great to come join our team here at First Baptist. This is a Fulltime position and she will oversee the Girls' Ministry on both of our campuses. If you are interested in applying for this position or know of someone you think would do a great job, please send contact information and resumes to my email address jnottingham@fbcba.org.

Collide Highlights

Incredible night at this year's Collide. Still celebrating all that God did. Lots of decisions for Christ. Here are some of the highlights.

Collide

Collide - coming Oct. 5th on our Broken Arrow Campus and Oct. 19th on our Coweta Campus. Students plan on being here and bringing your friends. It's gonna be incredible.

New Church Campus in Coweta, Oklahoma

This Sunday our church will officially launch our new campus in Coweta, Oklahoma. This is a monumental day for First Baptist Broken Arrow. We are praising God for the opportunity to begin reaching out to Wagoner County and spreading the Word of God in a highly unreached area in our State. If you live in the Coweta area come visit us off of Hwy 51 in Coweta at the old Emmanuel Baptist Church location. We will start with small groups at 9 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m.

My Summer

Man this summer has been a great. Time with my family has been absolutely incredible and ministry here at FBC Broken Arrow has continued to soar. Here are a few pictures of what took place in my life throughout this summer.

Wednesday night service Student Ministry . Nick Livingston our Worship Leader leading us in worship. It's been cool seeing this summer compared to last summer, we have doubled in size. Thanks students for coming out all summer.

My Associate Student Pastor Jamie Pope and I doing a ridiculous skit at Vacation Bible School to raise money for missions.

An incredible week at camp. Got to see 16 students from this group give their life to Christ. Can't wait for next year.

Trip to Arkansas to see the grandparents. Kids had a blast.

My main man here started walking this summer. First steps at 9 months and full out walking at 10 months. Proud of him.

Took our 9th grade student leaders to Orlando for Student Leadership University. Incredible training plus getting to do Sea World is not bad either.

Our group at Student Leadership University.

My daughters 3rd Birthday. She wanted a Princess Party. It was a blast.

We got to finish the summer with a trip to San Antonio for vacation. This is my son's first flight. Did Sea World and ate some great Mexican Food.

Student Leadership University

Every Student Pastor must take your Student Leaders through the SLU Program. I was blown away and can't wait to attend SLU 201 next year in Washington D.C.

The 9th grade leaders we took were challenged, inspired, and convicted. They are coming back to our city with a fresh fire from God to make an impact on this generation for God.

For more information on SLU check out their website at www.studentleadership.net

5 Easy Ways to Succeed at Work

It's hard to know what your boss wants sometimes but here are 5 things you can do that will be noticed and will help you succeed in work with just a little effort.

1. Be on time - I always tell people there is 20 minutes between success and failure. You show up 10 minutes before work people will think you love your job, you're motivated, and a go-getter. But if you show up 10 minutes late to work every day everyone will think you're a slacker. It's 20 minutes of time that can make or break you. Wake up 20 minutes early and get to work early.

2. Keep your mouth shut - People that cause drama and talk bad about their bosses or others won't last long in a position. One easy way to succeed is not talk bad about your boss, your company, church whatever. Learn to listen and not tear others down and you'll succeed.

3. Meet deadlines - If something is due Friday, get it done by Friday. Don't wait or ask for an extension. Get the job done on time.

4. Go above and beyond - Don't just do the minimum work for the job. Look for ways to excel and do more than just what's expected.

5. Look good and follow the rules - Dress well, cut your hair, and don't look like a slob when you go to work. If your job has a lot of rules follow them. Don't be the guy that breaks all the rules. If you have an issue with a rule discuss it with your supervisor, don't just decide to break it because you don't like it. The old saying "it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission" is a bad saying. That should not be your motto, whoever said that probably got fired soon after.

Work hard, work smart, and use these 5 easy steps to succeed at your job.

Ronnie Floyd

If you're in ministry you need to read this book by Ronnie Floyd "10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know" Ronnie Floyd is the Pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas. Phenomenal book with years of proven leadership etched in the pages.

10 Lessons on Leadership

Our Ministry Pastor here at First Baptist, Todd Parr, challenged us with these leadership practices yesterday I wanted to share them with you. It's good stuff.

1. You can't fake enthusiasm

2. Insane talent is not enough, you must have a calling, character, and competency

3. Failure can be tolerated...lack of judgement cannot.

4. Don't try to please everybody

5. The ideation process is critical

6. Concentrate on psychographics not demographics

7. Retain great staff members and volunteers

8. Criticism should always be followed with a solution

9. Managing and maintaining momentum is everyone's job

10. We must be focused

Our New Worship Pastor

This morning our church voted in our new Worship Pastor Kevin Price. Kevin is coming from Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We are absolutely thrilled to have him here and are so excited about the future. He will be moving here in early June to get started. Thanks for all the prayers through the process, exciting days are ahead.

Doug Fields

Doug Fields is a legend in Youth Ministry. I have looked up to and respected him for years. He put a great article on his blog the other day that I wanted to add here. If you speak to teenagers in a small group setting or large group, this is great advice. Check it out

http://www.dougfields.com/posts/speaking-3-questions-my-audience-is-asking-part-2/

7 Myths we Believe About Students

Here's a great article by Tim Elmore regarding Students. Check it out below.

Seven Myths We Believe About Students

By Tim Elmore

I was in Dallas several times this year. I love Dallas. I have many friends there, so I travel there a lot to speak, to reconnect with people and just enjoy a great city.

But I don’t like the water. It has this after-taste that makes me grimace. Fellow travelers agree with me. But it’s funny—only the folks outside of Dallas recognize it. Locals think the water tastes fine. They don’t even notice the strange flavor.

You know why don’t you? It’s what they are used to. Many grew up with it. It’s far too familiar. In fact, one Dallas resident told me he thinks the water in other places tastes weird because he's so acquainted with Dallas water. Hmmm. Maybe we can learn something from this little reality.

With each generation that grows up, we become accustomed to new standards and lifestyles. Some change is good; others, not so much. Personally, I am only for change that leads to improvement. Too often, our changes are drifts away from what’s good and healthy. Sadly, we don’t even notice. For instance, today, very few adults (parents, teachers, coaches, youth workers) expect a seventeen year old boy to be a mature adult. After all—he’s still a kid. He plays video games, texts his friends and goes to movies and malls. Yet, this is a shift from, say, a hundred years ago. Less than a century ago, seventeen year olds led armies or worked on a farm, or in a factory. They were expected to do so. Their parents needed them to produce something and they discovered they were capable. Slowly, we bought into the idea they are not ready for this kind of responsibility. And, of course, teens are willing to buy into that idea, too. Kids love the idea of adult autonomy, but not the idea of adult responsibility. In time, the standard just sinks lower.

The New Normal Shouldn’t Be Normal

Let me suggest seven changes that have occurred over the last century that created myths we’ve become accustomed to, just like strange tasting water in Dallas:

1. Myth One: Kids are unable to make commitments.

Today, students have short attention spans and get bored easily, but teens are indeed able to make and keep commitments. Centuries ago it was normal to get married at 15.

2. Myth Two: Kids shouldn’t have to work in high school.

Today, a minority of teens work outside the home. They don’t need to; mom and dad supply a nice allowance. Three or four decades ago, most of us worked a job at 16.

3. Myth Three: Kids can’t be expected to have adult conversations.

Most think—they’re just kids; how can we expect them to interact with grown ups? A century ago, kids attended a one-room schoolhouse and had to interact with all ages.

4. Myth Four: Kids should have whatever they want.

Fifty years ago, parents were proud to give their kids whatever they needed. Today, kids often get whatever they want. It’s the new normal. Going without is not an option. This is sad.

5. Myth Five: Kids shouldn’t take any unsafe risks.

Society is consumed with safety. We won’t let our kids do anything without a helmet and adult supervision. But risk is part of what makes our nation great and part of all progress.

6. Myth Six: Kids can’t wait.

Today, kids have short attention spans and little patience. It’s a Google reflex. But delaying gratification is part of maturing. As a kid, I grew as I waited for things I wanted.

7. Myth Seven: Kids should not be expected to produce anything.

We unwittingly bought into the idea kids are only consumers, not contributors. But I’ve watched teens use their gifts and generate something—and they come alive when they do.

Do you remember the story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”? It was the tale of a king who went out into his monarchy without any clothes on. Everyone was afraid to say he was naked—except for one guy. Just like me saying the water tastes bad in Dallas, it’s time we woke up and acknowledge the truth. We cannot simply get used to a lesser version of kids. I believe the day has come that we declare the reality of our situation:

We have done a poor job as adults, in getting this generation of kids ready for life. If they flounder, it is because we’ve focused on preparing the path for the child instead of the child for the path. I believe in this next generation. These kids are great and they’re capable of much more than we’ve expected. We have not led them well. We’ve protected them instead of preparing them for life as adults. It’s time we get them ready to lead the way into the future.

This is our aim at Growing Leaders. Will you join us?

Tim

Dodgeball Highlights

Student Missions at FBC Broken Arrow

Missions is a massive part of our Student Ministry and Church here at First Baptist Broken Arrow. Our Student Ministry tried something new over Spring Break and we hope and pray that it will grow from here. It was highly effective for our students and we were able to reach more areas with the gospel.

Here's what we did:

3 mission trips, one week, 3 cities. Our 7th and 8th grade students served here in Broken Arrow and Tulsa. For most of them this was their first mission trip. It taught the importance of serving our City and this area and created experience for students new to missions.

Our 9th and 10th grade students served in Kansas City. This was close by and kept the cost down and was a step up from a local trip.

Our 11th and 12th grade students served in Cleveland. More expensive but a trip that required more experience in missions. Door to door evangelism, far from home, flights and travel.

By doing 3 trips it made smaller more effective teams. Often when you take large groups on one mission trip you end up with a lot of people but not enough work. With smaller groups everyone had to do their part and benefitted from having an area to serve. Plus logistics for a youth pastor are so much easier when you're trying to keep up with a smaller group of people.

Plus we were able to make a difference in 3 cities in one week. I believe we made a greater Kingdom Impact by spreading out opposed to being in one location.

Next year we are going for 5 mission trips in one week. Not quite sure how that will look but I'll let you know when it's done. If you're a Youth Pastor let me encourage you to begin expanding your mission strategy to reach more for Christ, your students are ready for it, just lead them there.

Dodgeball Tournament

Get signed up for this year's Dodgeball Tournament. It's gonna be Legit. April 6th...Sign up starts tonight.

Great Book

I finished reading this book recently and wanted to recommend it to everyone who works with teenagers. We are working with and loving on a generation that is unlike any generation that has come before them. Tim Elmore does a masterful job of guiding the reader through the ever changing challenges and joys of working with this generation. Definitely a must read for every Youth Pastor.

Elevate Weekend

Big Weekend coming up for us Feb. 11-13. I'm really excited to have Jordan Easley (just noticed that his name is spelled wrong on the card, that's not good) as our speaker and Jeff Johnson as the band. Please keep us in your prayers. God always does great things during these weekends.

James Lankford on Abortion

Finish Strong

It seems like nearly once a month I hear about someone I greatly respect or someone who has led a solid ministry falls into sin or gets burned out and are now out of the ministry. It happens way too often and always breaks my heart. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." This is not a sprint it's a marathon and we have to pace ourselves and finish strong. A couple of points to help in this journey to not fall away.

Always have your personal time with God. Whenever we stop spending time with God on a daily basis it's a quick and slippery slope.

Keep your family together. If you lose your ministry you will still have your family, but if you lose your family you will lose your ministry too.

Deal with sin before it's too late. Get accountability, get counseling, pray hard and don't let it escalate.

Never say it couldn't happen to you. It can happen to anyone so we all have to always be on guard and always desperate for Jesus to help us.

Passion 2011

There are over 22,000 college students and adult leaders in Atlanta today worshipping God with all their hearts. It's the Passion Conference that has been going strong since 1997. God transformed my life at the 3 that I went to in 1998, 1999, and 2007. I'm wishing I could be there. I have been so burdened to pray for this conference and I wanted to ask you as readers to pray too. Throughout history it's been through teenagers and young adults that our revivals and awakenings have begun. I'm begging God that he will send revival at this event and through this group. Our nation so desperately needs it. Will you pray the same? Pray that when these students get back home tomorrow and Wednesday that they will flood our churches with passion like never before. Our nation so desperately needs it. Will you pray that our churches will capitalize and embrace their passion and not discourage it. What could happen if God moved today like never before. Our nation so desperately needs it. Please pray.