1) It’s always great to see a youth Sunday where the youth does more than just hand out bulletins. Everyone and their mothers should be proud of the youth of Valencia UMC Youth ministry. Everyone did an amazing job. I shouldn’t speak on behalf of God, but I know that they brought a smile onto God’s face today.

2) Yes, Jesus is our very best friend. But can Jesus say the same thing about you? Can he say that you’re his best friend? …The story of dodgeball and Kenny will always live on, only because I find valuable lessons to learn from my stupid childhood mistakes.

3) I do not have Bieber-Fever, and wish my students wouldn’t either… but that stupid song is stuck in my head.

4) My senior pastor has been taking steroids. HAHAHAHAHA (I’ll clarify if you ask)

5) I’m sorry that I didn’t wait longer, but I felt that the “unveiling” of the youth ministry’s name on Youth Sunday would be great. I didn’t get that many suggestions for names. But after a while, the name Refresh kept growing on me. I hope that the name grows on you too. And I hope that God uses us to bring a time of refreshing from the Lord. (And thanks to Daeshik and co. for our mission statement graphic)

6) I always hated the phrase “Leaders of Tomorrow” describing the youth. I’m no longer a youth, and tomorrow still hasn’t come… But the youth are more than capable of being the leaders of now! We should challenge them to step up here and now, not tomorrow. God uses all and any to get God’s will done. Moses is not the hero of Exodus. God is! God did everything. Moses just had to say “I will go”, though it took him long enough to get to that point. All Moses did was raise his hand. It was God who parted the Red Sea… God is bigger than all our insecurities and fears. God’s purpose will shoot down each and every excuse we can possibly come up with, because God has faith in you.

7) My jokes ARE funny. Just that they may be too advanced for people to understand and laugh to.

8 ) Challenged students to pray for 5 of their friends (secretly) and to pray for courage in trying to invite them to a church event.

9) We are all broken people. But I believe that it is ONLY in our brokenness that we become useful to God, because in our brokenness, we are forced to rely on God and God alone. And we know that only God can find such beauty in the brokenness of human beings.

10) And last but not least… Stocking Ball Duel of Death! (on a side note, I relearned a valuable lesson that, even though I say something with the most innocent of intents, a room full of teenagers might not see it that way. Wait to the end to see…)