Wow, it is hard to put into words all the great things God did in the hearts at the beach retreat this past weekend! I’m amazed at the fact that God’s love and grace is freely given to us everyday and we GET to serve Him! It was a blast to have 120 plus there to worship together! I was blessed to see students worshiping and encouraging each other. I truly believe that this generation will make a huge impact for eternity and I’m grateful I get to be a part of it.

I can say that my team of adult leaders, small group leaders, cooking team, band, speaker, late night host, etc that they hit a HOME RUN! It is a privilege to serve alongside such Christ-centered, selfless leaders. My prayer is that God continues what He started and students begin to be “totally consumed” with Christ in their lives!

• Really enjoyed this past week – lots of good times and conversations.
• My brothers, Jeff and Justin are in Germany and I must concur with Napoleon Dynamite saying, “lucky!”
• Baptized a student on Sunday morning – Awesome story of God’s redemption in her life!
• FSU lost. again. They played great against BYU and crumbled against USF! I’m still a fan of Bobby Bowden – He is one of the best coaches in college history and is man of God and character.
• My wife, Cassidy is a gator fan.  Saturday football games are always fun to watch in the Robinson house. I’m praying for her…She will see the light one day!
• Football and sports in general will not matter in eternity – Seeing people come to know Christ will matter!
• We saw “Cloudy with a chance of meatballs” and enjoyed it! It was a funny movie and we are always “geeked out” when we put on 3-D glasses.
• Beginning a new series this Wednesday night called, “Angry” -  Look forward to God moving in the hearts of the students
• Ready for the first hint of fall weather! I hear its supposed to get cooler here in SE Alabama this week.
• Stay tuned: I’ll be posting some thoughts this week on my blog dealing with ministry and life.
• I love my wife!

God has been showing up lately at our weekly Wednesday night worship gathering! It has been encouraging to see  students bringing friends more and more each week. We celebrated the See You at the Pole rally last night with over 75 in attendance. It was a great time of worship with the “Flying Backwards” worship band. I challenged the students with 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – “Transformation leads to movement!” It was a great night of worship and encouragement. Seeing students praying at the altar together fuels the excitement I see for this generation to lead a movement of God.

What do you get with 45 students, wal-mart pool floats, and a river? Quality!! We had a blast together while tubing down the Chipola river today. I enjoy planning trips that are low-cost and  help build growth and community! Building relationships is the foundation for community to thrive. I think student ministry puts too much emphasis on lighting, technology, and media to create momentum. Spending a day floating down a river gives ample opportunity for relationships to grow and conversations to begin with students. Student ministry is such a blast, I’m blessed to be able to call this my job.

We finished our 4 week series called “YouPick” this past week with the students. It was a blast! Students submitted questions about life, God, the Bible, relationships and more during the previous month. We jumped into four of the best questions for the month of August.

We answered some of these questions: How do I know the Bible/Christianity is true? Is Christianity a religion or relationship? What about dating and purity?

I learned so much through studying and stretching myself to understand God’s Word and how it applies to everyday life. Students are exciting to be around as they hunger for truth in this postmodern culture.

Here are a few notes from last night’s message:

Christian students experience pressures to trade purity for popularity. God’s plan for relationships is the only way to find lifetime fulfillment and peace.

1. Guard your heart - Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart, for out of it flows the wellspring of life”

- I shared an illustration on the “Leeches” of life. One of those are “obsessive love” that is built upon emotion and not on a commitment to life/purity.

• Obsessive love - “perfect for me!”….“We are always happy!”…”I’ll never be happy unless we’re together forever!”
• Pornography: It destroys God’s plan for a pure view of beauty. It destroys lives, marriages, and families. (Matthew 5:27,28,  Mark 7:21-23).
• Emotional Porn (fantasizing for false emotional fulfillment)