I might explode...

As “blah” as the state of Oklahoma seemed to me, the Elevate conference was anything but. I am so full of ideas it hurts. If you’ve ever wondered what 1500 adolescents under one roof looks like (perhaps you’ve had nightmares about it), you’ll find out at Oneighty Youth Ministry in Tulsa. I have never seen a ministry so passionate about reaching youth as I did this past weekend. Their creative approach alone was enough to make a religious person squirm in their seat. I saw over 200 teenagers waiting at the front doors of Oneighty a half hour early, not for a concert, not for a movie, but to experience youth group! Throughout the night, they engaged in worship, they laughed, they competed, and above all, several of them gave their hearts to Christ. By the end of the trip I couldn’t wait to get back to FlipSide (unfortunately, due to senseless delays, re-routed landings and an unexpected rental car ride from RDU to Wilm., waiting is exactly what I did.).

Meanwhile in Wilmington…

I wasn’t even home before I was hearing rave reviews about my brother, Benjamin’s, message last Wednesday at FlipSide. I finally got my hands on the CD and listened to it Sunday afternoon. Call me biased, but it made me proud to share his blood. Through sharing his testimony, he touched on experiencing God’s love, being real, submitting to authority, and working hard. He even made a little time to expose the “tattle tale” nature of his younger brother in the early days. The applause he received from the teens in the end was enough to make me adjust my iPod volume and consider going back to Tulsa :) Since then several of the teens have let me know how much they appreciated his message. Benjamin called to let me know what a great group I have, to which I beamed like a proud father. I’m convinced that God hand-picked for me the greatest group of young people a youth pastor could ask for and He’s provided every one of them with incredible parents.

Your teens are on a path to greatness and I am thrilled to be walking with them. I believe God has set some things into motion in the past several months that will end in your children being passionate about Christ and fearless in their faith. Don’t let them miss this coming Wednesday. I’ll be sharing about making sacrifices in our everyday life so that God can multiply His blessings to us. This will also be the last week of FlipSide@LARGE where we will be awarding the teen(s) who have brought the most visitors. We want standing room only in FlipSide this week. The more who are there, the more that can give their hearts to Christ. So load up your mopeds, cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, whatever, and let’s pack out our house this Wednesday. God’s gonna be there!

Thank you for all you do.

Matthew

Freedom!!

... Its the kind of word that turns heads, the kind that doesn't really need any other words around it. This past wednesday I spoke in FlipSide about Freedom, Faith & Fearlessness. Using the story of Paul & Silas praising God while they were in prison, I showed the teens the importance of having a freedom inside of ourselves that does not depend on our surroundings. In the end, two teens gave their hearts to the Lord. Afterwards, we all stood and corporately asked the Lord to give us freedom and fearlessness to go into all of OUR world and share the truth.

The night started out with a few unexpected kinks but I believe it ended just as God planned. We are moving into week 3 of FlipSide@LARGE with a lot of momentum. My brother, Benjamin (Ben to those who knew him as a kid) will be bringing an honest and powerful message this week while I am out of town. Pastor Bryan and myself will be attending the Elevate Conference (http://elevate07.com/) in Tulsa, OK this week.

Thank you all for coming to the parent/teen meeting on Sunday as we get ready to head to Winston Salem and Acquire the Fire. I believe this trip will be one that is life changing and I am very excited to see the outcome. Here are the contact numbers I had printed on the Rules sheet:

Matthew Ray - 910-274-6014
Bryan McGee - 910-616-2782
Megan Lewis - 910-367-0878

Thanks for all you do!!

Matthew

Thank you...

...so much, parents, for partnering with us to bring more new faces to FlipSide!! This past Wednesday we had 50% more teens then the previous night. That's Incredible!! Worship was intense and the overwhelming majority of teens responded quickly to a message that provoked them to have boldness to make God BIG in their schools and their lives.

The young people were encouraged last night to take the narrow road and not follow the crowds through the wide gate. They learned practically what it means to taste and see that God is good, and how the only way to see how BIG God can be in our lives is to step out in faith that He will perform.

Overall we had an exciting night where God showed up. After the night was over and everyone had gone home it was about 10:30p. I sat down on the concrete under the car port and looked over the parking lot. I began to thank God for His goodness. Our God is so incredibly faithful to come running whenever we call Him. He is doing amazing things among our teens and I often just feel like a fortunate bystander who gets to watch as He changes hearts and lives for eternity.

Thank you again for your dedication to your young men and women of God. You are establishing a foundation in them that will not soon be forgotten. I pray that my voice will only echo what you are already instilling in your teens on a daily basis. I love you all and covet your prayers.

Matthew