Let me give you a quick introduction…

Ben Glenn

Ben Glenn (a.k.a. “The Chalk Guy”) is no stranger to The EDGE and always gets a great response from students and youth leaders alike.

Ben creates stunning performance art using chalk and canvas. He also shares his personal journey of faith as it pertains to growing up with a learning disability.

Throughout his formative years, Ben struggled with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) ultimately finding it impossible to stay interested in school and leaving following his junior year in college.

Although his ADD caused him to struggle academically, it proved to be a perfect companion in his career as a performer, creator, and educator. Rather than let it hold him back, he chose to be inspired by his condition. He uses it as a tool for writing, speaking, and making videos focused on ADHD and personal development.

Kevin Robison

Serving as Pastor of the Franklin location of Cross Point Church, Kevin is just as comfortable preaching as he is leading worship music. He is passionate about seeing people become fully devoted followers of Christ.

Kevin grew up in Franklin, TN. He served on staff at Inlightened Ministries as well as a church in Northeast Georgia before moving back to Franklin with his wife Katie.

Robbie Robison

Robbie speaks at youth events, camps, conferences, and churches of all sizes and styles. He has a passion for student ministry and experience to back it up. His high-energy storytelling approach to preaching the gospel will engages and inspires students.

Craig Tackett

Craig is the founder and president of Inlightened Ministries, Inc., an independent Christian non-profit organization assisting ministries across the United States to engage in effective ministry to students.

A dynamic speaker and talented worship leader, Craig has traveled across the United States speaking and leading praise and worship music at conferences, camps, retreats, rallies, revivals, and any other place where God (and logistics) allow him to serve. He has a fun, magnetic personality that draws people into the Word of God and a passion for people of all ages, races and backgrounds.

Craig currently lives in Nicholasville, KY, where he serves as lead pastor at Nicholasville Baptist Church and president of Inlightened Ministries, Inc.

And that’s the line-up for this winter’s EDGE Conference in Gatlinburg, TN! But it doesn’t stop there. As always, there will be more surprises in store both on-stage and off-stage, along with our amazing volunteer team to assist your group with anything along the way.

We hope to see you at The EDGE Conference this January!

The post The EDGE 2017 Line Up appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

First up, Zane Black will use his “surfer-cool” style, attitude and a heart for Jesus to relate to your students about the struggles they’re going through and show them the freedom they can have in Christ.

Cody Dunbar will use his God-given gift of music to lead us in singing praise to the one true God.

Brad and Jordan of Far From Ordinary will join us to share Christ through skits, drama, and the talents God has provided them to make Him known.

Our own Craig Tackett will also preach the Word of God to students using his funny and quirky yet deep and insightful style of reading and teaching the scriptures.

This is sure to be an amazing winter conference you won’t want to miss!

We will also be back where The EDGE began over a decade ago at the River Terrace Resort and Convention Center in Gatlinburg, TN. The River Terrace along with The Edgewater Hotel will provide all facilities for lodging and activities allowing us to continue offering the small-group Bible studies, adult leadership training, and large-group worship sessions you have come to love and expect from The EDGE.

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and grab your group registration information.

Did you get a postcard? If not, we would love to send you one and answer any questions you have about The EDGE. All you have to do is contact us and we will have an informational postcard in the mail to you ASAP. We will also send out a full-size poster and registration form later this summer.

One more thing!

You can help us spread the word about The EDGE! Don’t keep it a secret, click one of the buttons at the bottom of this post to tell your friends on Facebook or Twitter about The EDGE. God has been using this ministry to shape the lives of students and youth workers for over 10 years and He isn’t finished yet. Continue to play a part in His mission, help us spread the word.

The post Announcing the 2015 Conference Line Up appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

We loved our weekend in the mountains with you.  Master Illusionist Harris III dazzled us with his title-worthy skills, Dana Jorgensen stirred our hearts to worship, and our speakers Annie Downs, Chris Wheeler, and Craig Tackett challenged us with the Word and urged us to pursue relationships with God.  Each of our presenters pointed us to the gospel of Christ.  And because of that, we consider The EDGE 2014 a smashing success.

Thank you for joining us in worship this year.  We look forward to seeing you at The EDGE 2015!

We would love for you to share your pictures and videos from the conference with us! You can email them to us or post them to The EDGE Facebook page.

The post Thank You EDGE 2014! appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

As Bob Kauflin says, “Creativity isn’t something you do—it’s the way you do something.”  In a worship service, there are so many creative ways to do what you do, whether it’s finding a relevant video, using an engaging prop, or writing a skit. Unique ways of illustrating your points can help students remember, engage with, and talk about what they are learning.

Something as simple as a sermon illustration is an example of creativity in worship. When students relate to a story connecting their tangible lives to a sermon point, they understand it more easily. It is important, however, to make sure that content drives creativity, rather than the other way around. Sometimes, we are tempted to stretch our content in order to use a cool illustration or video.

This past summer we, as a student ministry, packaged a series called “The Minor Leagues.” We had cool graphics, and we intended to use many baseball analogies in our overview of the Minor Prophets.  A few weeks into the series, we realized we had to work too hard to connect the Minor Prophets with baseball. We decided to step back and simply refer to the “Minor Leagues” as important foundations and feeders leading to the “Major Leagues.” Through the series, the students realized that these short (and often similar) stories with crazy events and hard-to-pronounce names were all leading to and “feeding” the coming of Christ and were truly important to the story of Jesus. Although we didn’t use the creative theme of the series as much as we planned, the creative aspect helped students recognize the importance of something they may have never studied before.

Simplicity is key. We may have tried to incorporate too many different elements into “The Minor Leagues,” but the simple, underlying “creative theme” was enough to link together a summer’s worth of messages in a creative way. Now, we would throw in the occasional skit with a minor and major league player or show a baseball video, but we tried to keep it simple. And even though it didn’t necessarily go as originally envisioned, I think it was very successful, allowing students to experience the truth that the whole Scripture points to Jesus, who saves us.

The post Creativity in Worship – Part II appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

The first of those is simple, self-explanatory, and powerful—at least it is for me.

I remember the moment so well.  I was directing a play during my senior year in college. I found friends around campus who could take all the parts in this play—the acting, lighting, producing, directing, etc. This play would be the culmination of my work in communication arts and theatre. I casted 6-7 friends and acquaintances, and we rehearsed together several evenings for a month or so. One night, I walked back across campus with a young lady who lived in the sorority house next door. Ours was a simple, casual friendship. And as we strolled from the theatre building to the dorms, without warning or prompting, this young lady simply looked over and said these words . . .

“There is no softer pillow than a clean conscience.”

I cannot tell you how or why, but that moment had a profound impact on me. Time and time again, both in warning and as a reminder, this simple phrase has crept into my mind. I find it so very, very true.  For as much as we mask our feelings, our sins, our scars, and our hurts, we do, in fact, have to live with our choices. And though we have become masters of the mask in public, the stirring of our spirits when it is just us and the calm, dark solitude is often more than our hearts and minds can take.  Sleepless nights are so abundant in our world that we have pills and meds and liquids and music and devices that “help” us sleep. I know that sometimes insomnia is simply insomnia, but for many people, if they are at all like me, sleepless and or restless nights are a product of a stirring conscience, a restless heart, and a conflicted soul.

There is no softer pillow than a clean conscience. Sleep well.

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With our middle school students, we had small groups go around to each station together with a leader who guided them through the process and read the instructions to them. With our high school students, we had each student do it alone, following the explanations printed up nicely at each station for them to read. Each station contained a puzzle piece; when all pieces were collected, they fit together to form the Lord’s Prayer in the student’s own words (download the puzzle piece graphic here.). I hope you can use some of these ideas within your own ministry context. Comment below with any other creative ideas you have done for prayer stations!

LORD’S PRAYER STATIONS

Note: Each group may go to the stations in any order, except that Station 0 is first, and Station 6 is last (those two will be done in the big group; the others are done in small groups). Stations 1-5 take the following format:

NOW: The youth will be invited to reflect on their current ideas or experiences.

NEW: Youth will be introduced a new way of looking at this part of the Lord’s Prayer, either through presentations, questions, or activities.

NOW WHAT? The youth will rewrite a portion of the Lord’s Prayer in their own words (try not to help them, except to clarify the instructions or explain the meaning of a word or concept from the original text). They will write their prayer onto a puzzle piece and keep it with them throughout the experience. After your group has been to all six stations, gather in the center of the room and tell your group to put the puzzle together in order.

0 – Teach us to pray (meet as a large group)

Materials: A Sharpie for each person.

Now: Leader shares an experience of being “bad at praying.”

New: Read Luke 11:1-4. We, like the disciples, are constantly criticizing our own prayer life compared to Jesus’ awesome prayer life. We notice some specific elements in Jesus’ prayer that make His so meaningful, and we will have the chance to experience them tonight.

Now What? Explain the stations and puzzle pieces. (It may help to assign each group or person the station in which they need to start in order to stagger traffic to the stations. If you do it individually, remind students not to overcrowd stations; perhaps you could set up a reflection spot somewhere nearby for students to wait their turn at a station without being distracting.)

1 – Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name

Materials: Index cards, Bible, rug.

Now: Grab an index card. Write down the first three words that come to mind when you think about your dad. Know that you won’t have to share these cards with anyone else and put it in your pocket.

New: The Lord’s Prayer starts with the words “Our Father, Who art in heaven” because God considers us His children, and He wants to have a relationship with us. It’s a very personal way of addressing God . . . and because of that, our own memories or feelings towards our earthly dads often have an influence on the way we view God. If you are really close to your father, then you might imagine God as someone who wants to go out in the backyard and play with you. But if your dad has not been a big part of your life, or if you have a bad relationship with him, then it might be easy to think of God as distant and uncaring.

But the truth is God is a good Father . . . better than any earthly father we could possibly imagine. He loves us very much and wants the best for us . . . and He wants to be in a relationship with us! So even if you have a hard time identifying with the image of God as your Father right now, you still need to be encouraged by who He is. Look up and read these verses in the Bible: Psalm 68:5; Luke 11:11-13; Psalm 103:13.

Now What? How would you rewrite the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name”? Write it on the puzzle piece and take it with you.

2 – Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven

Materials: Table with chairs around it, butcher paper as tablecloth, colored pencils and markers.

Now: When God looks down at the world that He has created, what do you think He wishes He could change? What would be going on in a perfect world? Draw a picture of what that might look like on the butcher paper.

New: The Lord’s Prayer says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is on Heaven.” The kingdom is the place where the word of the king is respected and obeyed. When we live lives of obedience, reverence, and awe of God, we bring the kingdom to earth.

Now What? Rewrite this part of the Lord’s Prayer in your own words on the puzzle piece and take it with you.

3 – Give us this day our daily bread

Materials: Bread, table with chairs around it, Bibles.

Now: Have you ever had the experience of having one if your prayers answered? Do you think it is easy or hard to ask for the things you need? What about the things you want? Do you think it’s okay to pray for material things? Why or why not? Does this kind of prayer “work”? Is it worth your time? Do you think it’s okay to pray for health? Happiness? To win the lottery?

New: Take a piece of the bread and eat it. The Lord’s Prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” What do you think that means? What is our daily bread? We need food to fulfill our physical needs. What is our “daily bread” in a spiritual sense? Could it be that we need hope/love/patience/strength/relationships to get through the day just as much as we need food? Do you believe God has given you what you need? Look up and read 2 Peter 1:3.

Now What? Rewrite the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread,” on the puzzle piece and take it with you.

4 – Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

Materials: An area that you can block off with caution tape yet allow space for students to cross over to get to an open area with a welcome mat in the center.

Now: A debt is something we owe someone else and a debtor is someone who owes us something. When we have debt it means that we’ve taken something we couldn’t get on our own. In the context of the Lord’s Prayer, it means sin. We sin and are indebted to God and other people for our faults against them, and we need forgiveness. At the same time, other people have wronged us and need us to forgive them, too.

Other versions of the Lord’s Prayer say, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Trespass implies that we’ve crossed a boundary . . . we’ve gone too far . . . etc. Sometimes, we cross the limits God has given us; other times, we cross the lines with another person. Either way, a sin is a sin!

New: As you sit around this welcome mat think about the times you have taken something that you shouldn’t have (someone’s self-esteem, your own pleasure rather than God’s, etc.). The truth is, we all cross the line sometimes . . . even when we’re not trying to. And other people cross OUR lines, too.

Close your eyes for a second, and think about some of the ways you have NOT done what God wants you to do, and confess those sins to God. Think about the wrongs people have done to you. With the same desire and passion for God to forgive you, so must you forgive those who wronged you. Remember this good news: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

Now What? Rewrite this part of the prayer on the puzzle piece and take it with you: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

5 – Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Materials: Blank slips of paper, fire in a campfire, fireplace, or bbq pit.

Now: Temptation . . . and evil . . . come in all forms, big and small. Temptation could happen for you in deciding which party to go to. Or, maybe someone has done something mean and hurtful to you, and you really want to get back at the person, even though the right thing to do would be to forgive and let it go. Or, maybe when your alarm goes off on Sunday morning, you start to wonder if it really matters whether you skip church this time; after all, you need your sleep! Temptation is about facing choices, when the thing you really want to do is not what God wants you to do.

Take a slip of paper and write down some of the temptations that you’ve faced in the last week, as well as some of the temptations that you think you might face in the week ahead. When you are finished fold your paper in half.

New: Jesus faced temptation too! He spent 40 days in the desert without eating and was tempted by Satan. Jesus never gave into the temptation, though. It must have been so difficult for Him, especially when Satan tempted Him to turn a rock into bread so that He could eat.

As a sign of repentance, throw your temptation paper in the fire and watch it burn away. Pray this prayer after it has burned away: God, I need to make the right decisions when faced with temptation. Today I commit myself to Your plan and purpose as I try to live out my faith. Amen.

Now What? Rewrite the phrase, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” on the puzzle piece and take it with you.

6 – For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. (meet as a large group)

Materials: Worship music (Doxology by David Crowder Band)

Now: Worship together with the song Doxology by David Crowder.

New: When we say the Lord’s Prayer in church, we usually add a section at the end called the doxology, which is not found in the original scripture. The word “doxology” means, “hymn of praise,” and early Christians added the words, “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen,” to the end of the prayer that Jesus gave them, so that they could take a minute and remember who God is and honor Him, adore Him, and admire Him. The song we just sang is an old hymn sung in thousands of churches called the Doxology.

Now What? On your last remaining puzzle piece, write your own doxology of praise. Once you are finished, put your puzzle piece together so that it is in the correct order of the Lord’s Prayer.

Let us first pray the Lord’s Prayer in its original form. Now, let us pray the words that you’ve written. We’re all going to read our prayers out loud at the same time, even though it might sound jumbled from the outside. It’s not a contest to see who can speak the loudest; it’s just our chance to all pray the same thing at the same time although the words are different. If you finish before someone else, just keep your head bowed until everyone else is done.

Pray. End with the song Manifesto by The City Harmonic.

The post Prayer Station Experience: The Lord’s Prayer appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

“What you win people with, you win people to. We are not trying to win people with creativity, we are not trying to win people to creativity, we are trying to win people with the content of the gospel. . . . Our role is not to come up with the next creative idea, it is to find our way again, and again, and again to the content of the gospel.”

So rather than delving into creativity in worship (which I’m sure will be a future post), I think we should take some time finding our way to the content of the gospel. As ministers of the gospel (Colossians 1:21-23), we need to remind ourselves and those around us of the Gospel in our lives (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Rather than asking “how can I make this service engaging and creative?” we must first ask ourselves: “how can every person in this congregation leave this place having experienced the breath and touch of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), know the love and justice of the Father (Psalm 89:14), and understand the sacrifice that was made for them on the cross by Jesus Christ (John 19)?” Without this foundation, there is frankly no point to having engaging music, fun games, or cool video content (Mark 7:5-8).

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

(Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)

God is creative—He created us, and He created incredibly intricate plans for our lives. We are made in His image, and we desire to create. He rejoices in our creative offerings to Him (Zephaniah 3:14-17), but we must continually remember that, ultimately, creativity doesn’t save people. JESUS saves people.

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Twenty years later, I still don’t know the depth of tired that an 80-year-old man feels, but I think I’ve learned a little more about what “tired” means since then.

There is a depth of tiredness that is all too familiar to ministry leaders; it’s called “burn-out.” For some, it is a passing phase, for others it can be like a crippling disease, hindering ministry and family life for months. Burn-out is a form of exhaustion that is like a spiritual pit. It can even take on the form of depression or a type of immobilizing force that makes us feel as though nothing we do matters.

Burn-out as defined by our friends at Urban Dictionary:

A state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by a prolonged period of stress and frustration; an inevitable corporate condition characterized by frequent displays of unprofessional behavior, a blithe refusal to do any work, and most important, a distinct aura of not giving a [blank].

Ok, maybe that was not the most respectable dictionary to use.

Symptoms vary, but the cause is usually the same: ministry without a prolonged time of refreshing. Ministry is physically exhausting and emotionally draining. Burn-out is a spiritual challenge. Some say it doesn’t exist and will try to shame others or themselves out of their feelings. But burn-out is real. Some call it “being dry” or being in a bad place. I have always called it burn-out because I simply have little or no desire to do ministry. I am just tried and want a prolonged break, and it feel like the work load just keeps building.

I am very fortunate to be a minister and to have served in the same place for 20+ years.  In my twenties, I was invincible and felt like my role was to serve the students and their families 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Vacations were rare and usually involved friends and a book or two. On vacation, God would often bless me by waking me up early and showing me the sunrise. Not a bad way to have a quiet time.

Now I have two kids of my own, and my bag of ministry tricks is worn ragged. When I take a vacation, it looks more like I am preparing for a small camp (sometimes it is more work than getting ready for camp!). My vacations are about Mac, Jack, and Betsy and then me. However, I feel like I need the rest and refreshment more now than ever.

One of my favorite places to recharge is at my grandmother’s house. There is always plenty of hard work to be done. There are always plenty of memories to be shared and good food to eat. When I leave, I feel as if I have accomplished something great. My small yard work tasks are rewarded with hugs, sweet tea, and a big smile from a gracious lady.

It is ironic that the place I find the most restful is the place where I was once told that I didn’t know what tired was!

Here are four ways to combat burn-out:

1. Be strategic! Remember the Sabbath!

Take a vacation! But if you cannot, then take a break! You cannot always take a vacation, but you can make a change, take control of the clock, and take a morning off for deliberate self-help time. Take a reading day. Go spend a day shadowing a friend you respect in ministry. Take a half-day. Go watch a movie. Have breakfast with your wife. But own the fact that you need to recharge and plan your start.

I work on Sunday, every Sunday. But I try to find some Sunday rest—a Sabbath, a day for my soul—every week. Last week, it was an early Saturday morning of sitting on the porch talking to God in the quiet of the morning, then sweating in the yard for two hours, and watching football in the afternoon. Yard work and football isn’t the typical picture of Sabbath, but my Sabbath is an intentional act of giving my mind, body, soul a break.

Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to serve us; we weren’t made to serve the Sabbath” (Mark 22:27, MSG). God intends for us to take breaks.

2. Be Intentionally Selfish!

Every day, I go to bed with work to be done. Opportunities to minister are endless.

Last Thursday, there were at least four opportunities for me to go watch my students play sports, and another chance for me to taxi my son to an event. Instead, I kept everyone in for our much needed, first family night of the last ten days. But when passing two different stadiums on the way home, I felt the urge to pull in just to see a little bit of someone’s game. I felt pressure from my wife to take my son to his event, but in the end, our night together was awesome and restful. Be selfish: you need to look after your spiritual and emotional health! 

3. Be Around Those Who Love You!

When was the last time you spent time with good friends? It’s time to do that again. Plan a weekend or Friday night with good friends. Laugh and have fun.

During a very trying time, a good friend said to me, “Rickter, you need to get around some people who love you!”  He was right. Find people you love and spend quality time in their presence.

4. Remember the Lord!

I suffer from burn-out after a summer of feeding everyone else and ignoring myself.  Physical rest is good, hanging with people who love me for me is uplifting, but in the end, I need to retreat into His arms. When was the last time you spent 20 minutes just enjoying worship? It is amazing how encouraging it is to be in the presence of God without being on the clock.

Set your alarm clock for 20 minutes earlier. Then get out of bed and go spend time with the Lord.

Here are my five ways of restoring worship that I enjoy during dry times of burn-out:

1. I let someone else read the Bible to me, and I soak it up. I plug in my earphones, sit and stare at the stars, and let the Word run over me.
2. Jump into a devotional book full of testimonies of God’s faithfulness.  My latest favorite is The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.
3. Take a long walk and talk to God. There’s a park close to my house, and I love to go and walk. At about a mile in, my connection to the Father feels wide open and we walk and talk, sometimes for an hour. It is awesome!
4. Podcasts—revisit an old favorite or make a new one.
5. Here’s one for the middle of a day! Pandora (it used to be an old Amy Grant, Larry Norman, and Petra cassette)! I plug in music when the day is long and I cannot get away from office work. I usually pick songs I haven’t enjoyed in years; recently, I found myself singing really loudly to Andrea Crouch. Sometimes, I start crying as the memories of God’s faithfulness begin to roll in through the speakers. Sometimes, I start to laugh as I sing of God blessings. It is truly worship as I remember the places where God has lead me and I sing of his blessing!

When I look around, there are always people who “have it worse than me.” There are always people who are maybe more tired or more faithful. But God has called me to rest. I know what that means, but often I neglect it.

I believe God has ordained rest and relationships!  We know our Savior often retreated for private times of prayer. Are you currently ignoring rest or relationships? When I treat myself poorly and ignore God’s pattern for living, is it any wonder that I end up feeling burned-out?

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It’s a funny situation to be a “lame duck” at church. I feel like people are looking at me like, didn’t you quit or something? The students seem to be happy I am sticking around. But I think they are anxious to get the “new guy” in soon. Transition is just tough.

So how should one leave? Well, it depends. First, few have such a choice. Either a pastor leaves for another position or, well, their services aren’t needed any more. But if, as in my case, one can help a church transition, one should, especially if the church wants to continue in the same direction. I am thankful my church isn’t abandoning ship, so to speak, and going another direction after me. Sure, new ideas, new blood, new energy would be welcomed. However, I am a fan of not scrapping the core values that have been instilled for years as well as the end goal. Programs can change. Traditions can change. Logos can change. Curriculum can change. Many things can be updated and modified without going a totally different direction.

What kind of ministry are you building that is worth preserving?

So for youth pastors out there, allow me to finish by posing this question: what kind of ministry are you building that is worth preserving? Traditions? Will the students keep hazing at camp after you’re gone? Or will the ministry continue producing students with have depth and understanding?

Luckily, I will have the opportunity to hand my keys directly to the new guy, without worrying that an interim will, you know, ruin everything. Then I can move on to the Pearl House, and my church can keep on turning out great kids, but with a new person with new ideas to build an even better ministry on an established foundation. That’s the way to do it!

The post The Truth about Turnover, Traditions, and Transitions appeared first on The EDGE Student & Leaders Conference.

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Phillip.”
(John 1:46)

Understand this: redemption sounds too good to be true. We are a naturally skeptical people. We often ask, “What’s the catch?” As we try to bring people to Jesus, don’t get discouraged if they aren’t as enthused as you. When Phillip told Nathanael about Jesus, he had his doubts. The long-awaited Messiah finally being here sounded too-good-to-be-true. So Phillip asked him to come see for himself. We don’t have the luxury of having Jesus in the flesh, but we can still let our friends and family see Him through the change that He has made in our lives. Our greatest witness is our lives. The peace that we have; the love that we show; our compassion for one another; all these demonstrate how our God has changed us. And your changed life has the ability to be a tangible representation of Jesus to a doubting friend. Show them Jesus.

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