I am now a facebookian

Well, i've done it. I've put it off for many days and weeks and months, but now i'm part of the momentum. The tidal wave has overtaken me and now i'm going with the flow. So, if you're there - look me up... gphintz.

Peace,
GP
http://www.gphintz.com/

IGNITE Food Drive... So Stinking Proud!

I am so stinking proud of the teens of IGNITE Youth Group. They are making a great difference in this world - one life at a time. At a moment when the biggest concerns on many teens' lives are their Guitar Hero scores or what level of WOW they are on - these kids devoted their time, energy and strength for those less fortunate in their community. Words can't express the joy that i have in my heart for them. I wanted to link you to the story in the paper about them, but i couldn't find it. Instead, take this photo, blow it up and check it out. Go ahead and comment and i'll let them know what the world thinks of what they're doing...



Hope you enjoyed!
GP
www.gphintz.com

Photos from our Food Drive 2

Don't Stop Now!

GP

www.gphintz.com

Photos from our Food Drive 3

Hope you enjoyed,

GP

www.gphintz.com

Photos From our Food Drive Pt. 1

Well world, today was awesome! Many times in life you come up with an idea and you begin to walk down a path and it's not until you reach your destination that you discover that the hand of God had to be guiding you. That is where I was today. I can honestly say that i am not a crier, but overwhelmed with emotion from the work that we did today, i almost broke down in tears.

The idea was a food drive to help the CAP (Community Action Program) in my town. They help those less fortunate in my city and were running low on food. We decided to take a stand and do something about it. I came to the realization that i want to change the world, but the world's too big to change. But, what i can do is find something that i can change... and change that and then each change we make will help to change the world. This idea was the food bank in my town - and that is just what we did.

I am so thankful for all the people who joined in this endeavour. From my good friends Kevin and Alan to the teens and adults from the church. There were some as young as two and some as old as... well, i guess age really doesn't matter :) Enjoy the photos and always remember - 'You can make a difference on this earth! Just find the need and fill it'. I Hope You Enjoy These Photos!

Much Love,

GP

http://www.gphintz.com/

Food Drive Starts Today!

OK! Today is the day. We are hitting the streets and letting everyone know that we're coming back tomorrow for their food. That's right - "Just put the canned goods in the bag and step away from the door!"

Ha! Ha!

If you read this, say a prayer for us today that we'll have a great impact on those less fortunate here in Wickenburg.

Thanks,
GP
www.gphintz.com

A Sneak Peek of Xander Gregory

Here's a sneak peek of Xander Gregory - scheduled to make his debut in a few short months. Our friends - Greg and Maria Struve - gave us a trip for a 3-d and 4-d ultrasound. It was awesome! Not only did we get some great still shots of him, but there's also a video! I'll be sure to keep you updated!

" Oh Yeah! It's cozy in here!"

" I'm just gonna stretch out and relax. I might as well, life can't get much better than this!"

"See ya guys later. I found my thumb and that'll keep me quite content until we get to meet face to face. Adios Amigos!"

Well, there ya go. And he's so smart... He's already speaking Spanish!

Your Partner in the Gospel,
GP
www.gphintz.com

Great Quote

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." - JFK

Some words to think about today...

Be blessed,
GP
www.gphintz.com

Life just don't get...

Life just don't get much better than this...

Be blessed,

GP

www.gphintz.com

Made the Front Page of the Newspaper

Hey everyone! The youth group made the front page of our local newspaper - The Wickenburg Sun. We're going to be working hard in the next few months to make sure that we are helping those less fortunate then ourselves. Please click below to check out the article...


http://wickenburgsun.com/articles/2009/02/11/news/news04.txt


Hope you enjoyed,

GP
www.gphintz.com

Well, there were some who really wanted to see what we did over at the CAP office the other day, so I figured that i'd give you a glimpse into the endeavor. This is not an exhaustive photo journal, but i hope that you can see that there are some awesome youth in Wickenburg striving to make a difference in their community!

God Bless,

GP

www.gphintz.com

New Life Quote

If you know me, than you would know that i love quotes and books and reading. In fact, if you've been around me at all you would probably know that one of my favorite quotes is - "Readers are..."

Some of you just finished this sentence. It is that embedded in your soul! I'm so excited!

Readers are Leaders!

And if you know me, you probably also know that my life verse is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and future."

But now i have a new favorite quote. I heard it said by a wonderful speaker the other day, but it originally came from the lips of St. Augustine. It goes like this...

"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you."

I LOVE IT! It encapsulates me perfectly. It's my heart and my thought and everything that i believe to be true. I hope it gives you something to think about today...

GP
www.gphintz.com

Redirecting Youth Ministry

So, i've been doing this thing called 'youth ministry' for a few years now. It has been cool because i've been able to basically build from scratch. I started working for a church that had a youth minister before me, and a core group of kids (around a half dozen), but not an established ministry. So i came in, rolled up my sleeves and started to build.

My mistake was that i was trying to build a youth ministry based on cultural standards. You had to be the coolest or have the coolest this or that or come up with the messiest games to play or have the coolest kids coming each week. I hated it! I'd agonize over the schedule of service for days. I'd read this person's opinion or that person's opinion and then bang my head against the wall a few times. It was pure torture.

Then... a few months ago i said scratch it (i actually said 'screw it', but that's too PG-13 to say here). I was going to build a ministry based on the basics. The Bible and serving the community. That's a tough sale, so i decided to stop selling it. I just dug my heels in and started teaching the Bible and looking for opportunities to serve. Opened up the book of Mark and started teaching. (Don't get me wrong. It's not boring. I am relevant. But I decided to quit teaching what itching ears wanted to hear and started teaching on the life and teachings of Jesus).

Then... a girl in my youth group told me about this place in town which was helping elderly people. She said, 'we need to get out of the four walls and do something'. I said 'Amen sister!' and called the place. They began to tell me that their biggest need was their food pantry and food. I said, 'We can help...'

Then... i broke the city into four quadrants, called my buddy at the Wickenburg Sun Newspaper and decided to organize a food drive throughout the entire city over the next four months. Last Friday, we gathered about 20 people and headed to the food pantry (better known as the Community Action Program or CAP) and donated our time. We washed windows, cleaned floor mats and sorted through pickled herring and various cans of beans. Before we knew it, we organized the entire food pantry and cleaned the entire place. The staff was pleased and the kids were so satisfied in the work that they had done.

Then... you'll have to stay tuned to find out. The drive starts in two weeks. The one thing that i know is that i sense in my gut that we're headed out into uncharted territories. I sense in my guy that we're doing the right thing. I sense in my gut that we're following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I sense in my gut that God is so proud of these teens.

My advice to you... follow your heart. Don't try to be something you're not. Don't try to live up to someone else's standards. Don't compare yourself to someone else. And, if you're a minister, don't count your success by the number of people sitting in the chairs. There are lots of full, dead youth ministries. Think of the impact that is going on in their souls and the opportunities that you're giving these kids to serve. Those experiences will change them... not the number of times that they got covered in ketchup or the mud puddle that they wrestled in like pigs. Get them out there to see the faces of the hurting and the needy and those without hope and then, when they look in the mirror, they will see the smile of Jesus resonating from their own face.

Your Partner in the Gospel,
GP
www.gphintz.com