Thankfulness

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Last night I was given the honor of preaching a message about prayer to Daystar Church’s Vert student ministry. I was overwhelmed with this opportunity, all in a good way, filled with joy is a good description. I was continuing a series about one simple idea each week, my idea was speak. Essentially I spoke about how when life starts to get really hard, we need to speak to God so he can give us peace. Habakkuk was the book I read from and it boils down to how as humans we only have a small piece to the larger picture that God has for our lives. I won’t spend too much time on what I said last night because I want to talk about another topic, the feeling about giving the message itself. Who knows maybe I’ll write about Habakkuk and prayer in a book someday.

The process leading up to me speaking was filled with guidance from my mentors and advice from those close around me in my life. These people gave me powerful encouragement and supported me, and after giving the message, I was filled with thankfulness. Thankful for the support and advice from my friends and mentors. Thankful for my family who have and always will believe in me and help me in my passions. Thankful for my Savior and his giving me the strength to even stand on the stage and say the words at all. My spirit is filled with gratitude.

Thankfulness, or gratitude, is letting others know you see how they’ve helped you.

I’ve noticed while being a leader in different areas, and observing greater leaders who have guided me, when you step away from pride and give others the credit where it is due, your influence and validity is increased. There has never been an effective leader who believes they have done everything by themselves. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” No one will follow someone who believes they can do everything on their own, a good leader recognizes they are weak alone and that true strength comes from their team and from our creator.

Pride causes destruction, but gratitude creates a strong culture.

The best part about gratitude and thankfulness is that it is simple. That definition I used above was what we taught the Elementary in Daystar Kids this past November. The definition was made simple and easy to understand and apply, even for a child. So why then is it hard as an adult in ministry or in our daily lives? It is because we fear losing the glory, the attention that can come from the eyes of onlookers. This is a lie that the enemy has convinced us of to prevent us from stepping into leadership in every aspect of our lives. Every leader has a team, and as believers we have a creator who has given us the skills in the first place. We were created to do God’s vision for our lives, we were made to lead his people into the kingdom. Without him, we can do nothing. When we recognize what he has done and give the glory back to him, we are able to step into our potential.

Thankfulness gives honor to those around us, and is an act of worship to our Father in heaven.

To bring this to a closing, I want to let everyone know how thankful I am for those who have helped me get to the place where I am today. If I went through life isolated, I would never have a passion or a purpose, I would be absolutely unable to lead. So today I am reflecting on that fact, and plan to show my gratitude in every area of my life. I encourage you to think of all the people who have been in your life and strengthened your character. Remember your creator who gives you your passions and gifts, remember how much he has moved in your life. Be thankful.

-Joshua Thomas

p.s. I want to thank you as well, all of you who take time to read my thoughts here on the blog. It’s encouraging to know that people care and what to know what I’ve been learning. You guys are the best!

Learning to Rest in Times of Growth

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Recently, my life has begun to move in a great pace with opportunity and success from hard work. It’s a great feeling to make an impact, to be using your talents and see the harvest that comes of it, but this can be dangerous. You may be saying to yourself, “Hold up, I thought you were describing things that are good? My answer to that is yes, it is good as well as a dangerous area.

Before I start confusing you, let me explain. I am currently in my second year of school at GTCC and will transfer to UNCG next semester. I am the youth intern at Daystar Church, assisting our Youth Pastor with behind the scenes planning and odd jobs that need attention. I am also Daystars Tap college ministries male community leader, essentially overseeing the small groups and empowering the leaders. I also lead a fourth and fifth grade small group on Sunday mornings in the Daystar Kids next gen ministry. I love everything that I am a part of, I am overjoyed to serve in such a great place, and I am thankful for my education.

None of these are inherently bad, but can be dangerous.

I have noticed recently that I am easily tired and often question if what I do is even worth it. This isn’t just a struggle that I have, but have seen people in my church and close family have these same issues. It’s difficult to pin point the main issue, and if you have been feeling similar lately, there is hope.

In times of busyness and growth in our lives, we take on more tasks and more responsibility. This is normal, but we must be careful, if we are not able to find rest we will fail in our mission. A term thrown around a lot in situations like this is known as, “burnout.” This can mean taking on more tasks than we can achieve, or forgetting to re-fill our spiritual tank.

If you want to accomplish anything, you must attack the problem preventing you from your goal.

Addressing the issue is not easy. Taking on more opportunities is a good thing, to a point, but once it consumes all of your time, this is the moment to re-evaluate what your mission is. Ask yourself why you keep taking on more responsibility, and yes it is perfectly fine to say no to some things. Rather than doing more, be the best at the little that you already have. Direct energy towards your ministry you have been called to, and cut out the things that cause you to be less effective in all areas. This is applicable to every area of life, whether it be in your ministry, job, or relationships with others. Move the mountain piece by piece, rather than attempting to lift it at once.

The next big problem that causes this idea of “burnout,” is the issue of doing it all by yourself. In modern American society, the theme is to be independent, but we need to be dependent to be effective. As believers, our strength does not come from us, but from our creator.

If we are not actively pursuing God in our personal life, we can accomplish nothing.

Spending time in the word, praying daily, and worship allow us to recharge when we lose strength. God allows us to find peace when life starts moving so fast, he provides us with all we need to be an effective leader in our lives. Without him, we are weak, but with him we are strong. He provides rest to us who are weary.

Now you may be thinking, “What exactly is rest?” Why I’m glad you asked, rest is a gift from God that comes in many forms. Sleep is a natural gift from God, and that’s incredibly important. Time with family is rest, these people are the closet in your life, and they know you and give you advice during the hardest times. One of the biggest ways we find rest is by doing the things we love, our passions and hobbies allow us to step back and find rest in the chaos of life.

For me, I enjoy writing, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies. These help me find rest, even when I may not have endless hours to devote to these. Even being able to spend a small bit of time doing these, I am able to have true rest and hear God speak to me. Your life may look different and you may have radically different interests, but whatever you are passionate about, find rest in pursuing them.

Life is crazy, I don’t think anyone will deny that, but we don’t go through it alone. Evaluate your priorities, remain in God’s presence, and pursue your passions. You will find rest in the chaos, the growth, and the unknown. God gives you the rest to carry on.

-Joshua Thomas

21 Days of Prayer and the Leadership of Joshua

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

As I sit in a coffee shop here in town, I have been reflecting over the past twenty-one days of prayer that just wrapped up at Daystar Church. It has been an incredible three weeks, filled with prayer and extended time in my mornings to read the word and study it. There’s something refreshing about being able to start one’s day off in the word, and actively pursuing Christ throughout my day. At the end of these three weeks, Daystar held its’ revival over three nights. This was a time filled with worship, teaching, and reflection over where we as the church are headed. It was empowering and encouraging to stand there with Daystars five locations, Cross-point Church, and Iglesia International, all coming together in worship. Needless to say this was an incredible time.

A habit of mine, typically, is to choose a book of the bible that I feel God wants me to spend time in and reflect on it during the twenty-one days. The book that I studied during this time was the book of Joshua (pretty good name of a book if I do say so myself). I love the book of Joshua because it encompasses the meaning of what a true leader is, and how his character should reflect the heart of Christ. Joshua was one of Moses’ close friend and follower, one who stood on the word of God. Basically he got it, he understood the power of Christ and did all that he could to best serve God and his people. He wasn’t born with supernatural bravery when he was called to lead the people into the Promised Land after the death of Moses, he trusted in God. As I was reading over his book, a few ideas popped out to me and I think it is important to share for people striving to be a leader that God has called us to be.

God Is Always There In Our Time Of Need.

Joshua was handed the responsibility of leading all of the Israelites into the Promised Land, this was a big duty and he felt overwhelmed, at first. Joshua was fearful of failing in his leadership, but every time he questioned his abilities, God immediately tells him to not be afraid or discouraged, because God said he would never leave him. It’s easy when in a leadership position to fear failure and question our ability, but God tells us that as we pursue him, he will pursue us. We need to trust him because he is the place where we will find the strength to lead.

God Will Use You If You Are Willing to Give Everything To Him.

In the city of Jericho, Rahab, who was a prostitute, took two spies sent by Joshua and protected them from the city guards. Because of her faithfulness and changing of her heart, not only was she saved when the city fell, but her entire family. Rahab changed her ways, and became a part of the lineage of Christ. Had Rahab never given up her past, she would have perished like the others in Jericho, and never live into God’s calling on her life. In our own lives, it’s easy to hold on to the sin of our past and refuse to let go, but if we don’t, we will never live into our full potential.

Be Wise About Who You Build Your Team With.

After Joshua and the people conquer to city of Jericho, and God tells the people to not rebuild the city or their people in the fallen city or they would fail in their next battle. The people listen to this warning accept for one man named Achan. In their next battle, many Israelites perished and they failed to take the city. Joshua was angered by the dissention that had occurred with those he was leading. The actions of one man caused failure. Achan confessed to his actions, but by then it was too late, the blood was already spilled. He was stoned for his actions due to the law. Now that doesn’t mean if someone makes a mistake they should be stoned, the message here is that in our team, we should choose people who are sold out for the same vision that you cast. If not, your ministry can be drastically affected and end up leading to nothing. Build a team that is sold out for the mission and let go of the people who are not passionate about the mission.

When We Fail, Don’t Lose Hope.

Joshua, like many leaders, became discouraged after this failure among his people. God speaks to him again and tells him to not be discouraged, but to learn from the mistakes and press on. We will all fail at some point in our lives, as leaders it can be easy to want to quit after things get tough, but don’t quit! God will use our failure and turn it into something beautiful. Wise leaders learn from mistakes, make the changes to be more effective, and finish the race.

And finally…

Your Life Is A Monument To God’s Power.

Over and over, Joshua is given victory over his enemies, and after every triumph, creates a monument to show God’s power. As a leader, your life is being looked at by everyone, and it can either reflect the power of God or turn others away. We need to be careful on how we use our influence and ask ourselves the reason behind our actions. Is it to bring glory to God, or to make me look good? Joshua took every opportunity to show others that God was in control and that He was the one giving him strength. Your life reflects if you are finding your power in God, or from yourself.

I hope you can take these ideas and apply them to your ministry. You are a leader, whether you see it or not, you have influence in someone’s life. Follow the example of Joshua and find your strength in Christ.

Thanks for reading, and as always, stay awesome.

-Joshua Thomas

15744278744_5d874e835e_o

16342970656_f493d44602_o

Tea and Tracks #3

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Hello again and welcome to the latest edition of tea and tracks, and I’m very excited to share these tunes with you today. The feel of the albums today is very dramatic and ambient, yet still peak the intrigue while you listen. I hope you enjoy these albums and give them a listen, stay tuned to the end to have a new flavor of tea that pairs very well with these albums. Remember to support the artists and share it around if you dig it!

The first album up is titled, Night Drive, by the “Chromatics.” This band from Portland, Oregon uses a variety of sounds mixing indie rock and synthpop with a little bit of Italian disco elements to create their own unique sound. Night Drive was released in 2007 and was the bands third studio album which departed from their early punk sounding music. The band includes Nat Walker who plays the drums, Johnny Jewel who plays the rest of the varied instruments used in their recordings, and vocalist Ruth Radelet. The album opens as a women is about to meet up with her boyfriend, but then decides to take a drive alone instead. That feeling resonates throughout every song as each is a perfect soundtrack to a late night drive. One of the most recognizable tracks is titled, “Tick of the Clock,” which was featured throughout the 2011 film called, Drive. The album gives off that intriguing neo-noir thriller sound, which creates vivid imagery while you listen. My favorite track off the album is, “Running Up That Hill,” which is a cover to Kate Bush’s original song from the 1985 album, Hounds of Love. Check it out!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/night-drive/id630262470

The next album continues in the vein of synthwave styled music with a movie soundtrack feel, Visitors, by “Lazerhawk,” is incredible. Producer, Garrett Hays, creates music inspired by the cyber-punk stylings of the 80’s, yet keeps his tracks fresh and fast-paced. Released in 2012, Visitors, encompasses the feeling many children have as they look up at the stars and wonder what might be out there. The album explores that idea and culminates into a sci-fi infused electro album creating that cinematic feeling. The synthwave movement includes several up and coming artists who are incredible at their craft, this movement definitely has the potential to reach the masses but is currently a very little known genre of music. My favorite track off the album is, “Shoulder of Orion,” which is a perfect representation of this emerging style and cinematic qualities. Check him out and support the movement of synthwave music.

https://lazerhawk.bandcamp.com/album/visitors

The next album is called Ring, by Glasser, which takes a break from the heavy uses of synth, yet still uses the electronic pop styling to keep her album fresh. Female singer-songwriter, Cameron Mesiro, incorporates tropical pop, tribal percussion, and electronic beats here and there to create a sound like none other. Her 2010 debut album, Ring, put her on the radar of many reviewers out there, and with good reason. The album is an incredible piece of art where you can tell that each track was written and created with specific intentions and just what she wanted it to be. Overall the album is very easy to listen to and has that free spirit sense throughout each song that many love and can connect to. MY personal favorite track is, “Tremel,” which shows off her style of music and her incredible vocals. I encourage you to give it a listen!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ring-bonus-track-edition/id391962016

The final album we will be looking at today is titled, Beyond Dreams There’s Infinite Doubt, by Azure Blue. This album by solo artist, Tobias Isaksson, creates that 80’s pop utilizing lighthearted synths and creating the imagery of things that are going to be better on the horizon. The album has the mind wander into the daydream of the good times in life, focusing on friendship, nature, and love. The album is a truly wonderful piece of work and I highly recommend that you listen to it for yourself to fully experience this very talented musician. My favorite track is titled, “When Love is Pure and True,” which is a beautiful song and shows off all that this artist can do. I highly recommend this album.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beyond-dreams-theres-infinite/id722307975

And now for today’s tea of choice that goes right along with our music today, Twining’s Jasmine Green Tea. Green tea not only tastes very smooth, but it is great for being able to sit down and relax in our chaotic lives. Green tea has a very rich history in Asian culture and in Japanese culture especially, with ceremonies that take place to drink it. This is a great choice of tea that definitely goes well with the albums we have looked at today. I hope you have enjoyed this third installment of Tea and Tracks, if you liked it feel free to share and comment! Stay awesome.

-Joshua Thomas

Tea Fun Fact: Green tea uses the same leaves as black tea, except, green tea is steamed and black tea is roasted.

Tea and Tracks #2

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

Hello again tea drinkers and music lovers! This is a bit late but the future schedule will be every other Monday. Got some fun stuff today, music to help you chill out or have fun during those days that seem way to long! Remember, this is a way for you to check out some stuff you may have not otherwise heard of, this is music that I really dig and want to share with all your lovely faces. Now let’s jump in!

The first album to check out is skater/musician Tommy Guerrero with his album, No Mans Land. Tommy Guerrero writes music that is perfect to chill out and have vivid imagery, especially in this album where it feels as if you have just stepped onto an old spaghetti western film. The use of his guitar gives off the picture of what the old west has always been portrayed to the public, this album could have very well been a soundtrack to a Sergio Leone film (the creator of the Man With No Name trilogy).  The simple beats behind creative guitar riffs gives the album so much life and allows each individual track its own story and personality. The album has no lyrics and allows you, the listener, to create the setting and imagery of each track as you listen to the smooth nature of the album. The album is a mix of funk, r&b, and indie rock which gives the album such an incredible unique flavor and I highly recommend it to anyone. My favorite track is “Sticks of Fury,” but each track fits together so well so I highly recommend you listen to each track on this wonderful album.

https://tommyguerrerotoogood.bandcamp.com/album/no-mans-land

The next album is titled, The Age of Adz, by Sufjan Stevens another unique album and style of creating imagery in the listener’s eyes. Stevens is a story teller at heart, and this is clearly understood through this album, yet the simplistic traits of a story are used. The album focuses on the theme of unmitigated love (and affection), and comes about this whether talking about a sleepover, old age, illness or the apocalypse. The album is a compilation of pop songs strung together with indie electronic sounds and classic folk music, which comes together into one of the most unique albums I have ever listened to. Sufjan Stevens is a musician that many would consider to be “hipster” due to the unique style and vision in his work. My favorite track is, “Too Much,” which encompasses the main style of Sufjan and speaks about the pressure that many face every day in life.

http://music.sufjan.com/album/the-age-of-adz

The next album is actually an EP titled, Bullrider, by Mastah Syphe which goes right along with this theme of unique styles in music. This experimental electronic album may turn some off away at first, but much like other forms of art, is absolutely why it should be listened to. This electronic album is not a typical club beat that one may hear, but an artist’s vision of how one can push their medium to the limit. The tracks stick to a 160 BPM style which allows the energy of the track to stay up, while mixing in distinctive switch ups and heavy bass. My favorite track off the EP is, “Helicopter Krunk.” I highly recommend giving it a listen and take a step into the world of experimental electronic music scene.

https://liquidgeometrymusic.bandcamp.com/album/bullrider-ep

Now the final album, which I’m am very excited to talk about is, Charge!!, by none other than “The Aquabats!” This band encompasses the term of being unique and uses fun and can change your mood in an instant. The bands roots emerged from the ska scene, but has since changed into a mainly rock genre of style. Now what makes this band unique is each of the band member’s personas that they use when they play, which adds even more too this already incredibly fun band. The current members include, The M.C. Bat Commander on vocals, Crash McLarson on bass guitar and backup vocals, Jimmy the Robot on keyboards and the occasional saxophone, Ricky Fitness on drums, and of course Eagle “Bones” Falconhawk on guitar. Now you may be saying to yourself, are you serious right now, and to that I say yes! The album I chose, Charge!!, is my favorite because of its great music and fun rock nature that it’s all about. The music is exceptional and great to listen to, which is why more people should listen to what they have to offer. I have never been to one of their concerts, but each show they give is an experience in itself, where they play commercials and play games during the show. I hope to one day go to a show just to experience the good times that would be there. They recently had their own show on the Hub Network titled, The Aquabats Super Show, which is reminiscent of early Power Rangers and Batman television show. So to bring it back, check them out and give it a listen, I can guarantee you will enjoy it! My favorite track is, “Hot Summer Nights (Won’t Last Forever)!”

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/charge!!/id839099188

Now! For this editions’ tea of choice, the Samurai Chai Mate Tea from Teavanna. Since I’m on a theme of uniqueness today, this tea brings together the way of the warrior being strength, skill, fairness, mercy, power, energy and balance. The tea embodies this spirit with an invigorating green mate and green rooibos blend. Cinnamon, anise and cardamom blend with papaya, pineapple, orange and lemongrass. So check it out and remember to stay awesome!

-Joshua Thomas

The New Year

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Well another year has passed, and what a great year it was. I have been so blessed over the past year, I have seen growth in my own life, the life of my church and the lives of those around me. It’s fun to look back at all the events that happened over the past year, some good some not so good, but all the events in my life allowed me to grow and discover more about myself and where I want to continue to go.

In 2013, I read an article that talked about instead of making a new year’s resolution, to focus on one word that you want to live out for that year. That year I chose the word of servant, a devoted or helpful follower or supporter. I tried to be a humble leader and one who listens to the wise council of those above myself. Then I continued the tradition into 2014, choosing the word of hero, defined as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Keeping those qualities in mind helps me focus on the reasoning behind every action and being a better leader. And that brings me to this New Year, 2015, and the word I have chosen to focus on this year is, adventurer.

Adventurer is defined as someone who likes dangerous or exciting experiences: a person who looks for adventures. One of the focuses I want to have this year is to step out of my comfort zone more and take risks. Now these risks aren’t foolish things that I want to try, they are things like meeting more people, having a bigger influence to those I come into contact with, and to continue to practice my hobbies of drawing and writing. I want to be able to try new things and go to new places, do things that I might not otherwise think of doing. Pushing myself to new heights and always striving to get better.

That’s what I plan on doing for this New Year, push myself forward, always growing and trying to use what God has given me to make a difference. I think about my past and where I’ve come from and I know I will always want to keep striving for more. 2014 was filled with great experiences, from seeing my Vert guys grow into strong leader, being able to lead a small group of elementary kids, and being able to work in some amazing ministries. 2015 will continue these things and even more, I cannot wait to see what will come from this year and how I will grow and change!

It’s going to be another great year and I hope yours’ is pretty swell as well!

-Joshua Thomas

Tea and Tracks #1

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Hello there! I have been kicking this idea around for a while now about doing some bi-weekly post about what music I’ve been listening to and a tea that I have been enjoying. So, this will be the very first “Tea and Tracks” post where I will share some albums, songs, or whatever i have been listening to and post a link to where you can listen and purchase if you would like. Keep in mind that I am purely a lover of music and art and not an official reviewer, these are my thoughts that I want to share with anyone who wants to listen. Then I will introduce a tea that you should all try, so I hope you enjoy this first edition of “Tea and Tracks!”

The first album is Rookie, by a band called Hideout. This San Diego duo uses a very classic alternative/ indie rock style in their music, and evokes imagery of a fantasy world while keeping that classic indie vibe. This album specifically is very unique in it’s sci-fi like world it creates in three of the songs specifically. Skylights, Battle Lights, and Stronger create a story arc of a young boy who is kidnapped, then returned home with no memory of his past. It is an interesting story and is not the complete focus of the album, the other songs focus on life and how we deal with the things that go on in it. My favorite track on the album is definitely, Where You’ve Been, which sets the tone for what the album is trying to achieve. Rookie is a unique album with fantastic imagery that creates a charming feeling while you listen, check it out and support the artists if you dig it.

https://hideout.bandcamp.com/album/rookie

The second album is the Seacats self titled Lp. This album is very much grounded in reality as it is a coming of age story of two brothers dealing with three issues. In their own desciption of the album it says, “18-year-old Mike Davis sings about his trials finishing his senior year of high school, not being the coolest guy in school, and not being able to finish his chores in time to watch his favorite show. 23-year-old Josh Davis’ songs cover these same three topics.” It is a simple idea yet one that many can relate to, making this album fun and easy to listen to. The Seacats again are an alternative rock band with more grunge influences, and do it quite well. The album is grounded in real life but doesn’t take itself to seriously, which works in its favor to create an experience while listening. My favorite track is Wrecked, not only does it set-up the feel for the album, it has a really great music video with it. So check out this album if you wanna listen.

https://seacats.bandcamp.com/album/seacats

The third album is Getz/Gilberto, a 1965 jazz album by  American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto. While this album is quite a separation from the previous two, it is a beautiful album with a smooth feeling that allows the mind to relax and wander. Jazz is very much an experience so I highly encourage you to listen to this in some way to understand its beauty and how it can change the mood of your day. My favorite track from the album is Corcovado, which creates that smooth jazz feel with deep bass and the right touch of saxophone that all jazz lovers will enjoy. Check out this essential jazz album for yourself.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/getz-gilberto/id485540980

The final album this week is Daystar Worships’, King of Glory. My home church has finished its’ first full length Christmas album just in time for the season. The main focus of the album is to share the reason why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the King of Glory. The tracks are many classic Christmas songs, in a worship style and creative takes on old songs. My favorite track is Carol of the Bells/ Sing We Now of Christmas. Check it out now as it is perfect for this Christmas season.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/king-of-glory/id935797054

I hope you enjoyed this little experiment of mine and more importantly enjoyed these wonderful albums. The tea I am recomending this week is “Constant Comment,” a rich black tea with hints of orange to create a great flavor. Pick some up along with any of these albums for a unique listening experience. Let me know what you think of any of the albums and the tea of choice. Stay excellent.

-Joshua Thomas

Strive For More

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Well hello there dear reader! It has been a while since the last time we spoke, but life can sometimes get a bit crazy. Now that I have you, I have been thinking about a few things and if you don’t mind I’d like to share them with you. So much has happened in the past couple of months. Another Fx came and went, Live Up weekend was a gigantic success, the LIFE retreat at Daystar Church just finished, and Vert just had its last Reach event this year. All of these things required many hours of planning and preparing, but most importantly, they all took the hard work of people. These people saw the vision for what God had planned and they ran after it, even when it wasn’t easy. In all areas of life, if we aren’t willing to go through the tough times, we will never experience the reward. In every one of the events I listed above that happened, people gave their time and energy to pull together and create a place where life change could happen. So many people were saved and set free, yet, often times we don’t want to put in the work and just show up for the experience. Why do we do this? Why do we just want to see the change and not help in its preparation? Well I’m glad you asked, and to put it simply, we are all selfish. And no I’m not singling you out, we all do this. We live in a society that is all about instant gratification and consuming as much as we can. We become trapped in wanting others to serve us and forget to give back.

December is the month that people get into the giving spirit, and that’s good, until we stop after the 25th. In Daystar Kids we have been going through the virtue of generosity, and our memory verse is quite applicable to what I have been noticing. 1 Timothy 6:18 says, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” This verse is not only talking about giving gifts like the December syndrome, but our time and deeds. Deeds meaning the things we can do to help others. Every week, at each of Daystars 4 campuses, volunteers show up ready to make the Sunday experience as good as it can be, all to make an environment for people to come and worship the king of glory. They are selflessly giving their time and putting in hard work to make a difference to change lives, I don’t know about you, but that fills me with so much joy. I get to serve alongside of some of the greatest people I know and I am so thankful that I am able to praise God in the giving of my time and effort. Daystar has six core values that direct the church and they are the way I try to live my own life. The first is to love God, he is the number one priority in our lives and he should always come first. The second is to honor people, putting others first above your own wants and needs. The third is pursue excellence, do all that you can to the best of your ability. The fourth is to have fun, this creates a welcoming environment and God wants us to laugh (I mean he made flamingos, and those are the funniest things ever). The fifth is to go first, leaders should never tell others to do something that they are not already doing, which creates a spirit of integrity. The final value is to live generously, God gave us so much so we should give back just as much. This is the solution, the way to get rid of that consuming attitude. When you look at life through these values, you look at the world differently. When you see stacks of chairs and want to just let someone else do it for you, you stop and say, I’ll help them out so that they don’t have to do it all. Or when you are feeling tired and don’t want to stay for the clean-up, you can stop and say if I help we can finish this even faster. You look at things that seem to be tedious and view it as an opportunity to help others.

To bring this all together, God has called us to be generous, not just with money, but with our time and our gifts. Look at the hard work as an opportunity for someone else to experience the gift that God is giving to us freely. Remember the core values. Love God, honor people, pursue excellence, have fun, go first, and live generously. So this week when you feel tired or feel like someone else will do it, remember to strive for more and be the best you can be.
Thanks for reading.
With love,
-Joshua Thomas

Recharge

/ Joshua Thomas / 1 Comment

Have you ever had your phone die on you at the worst possible time? I have, and it’s the most annoying thing because I find myself relying on it all the time during my day. What happens when the same thing happens to our own life? This idea of being burnt out or just stressed to the level of always wanting to pass out and just get some rest, often finds its way to me. I find myself being put in that position one to many times in my own life. What is the reasoning behind this? This was a question I was asking myself recently, and with my fall break on the horizon I found myself needing to recharge my life. I was dealing with a drain on my life, I was lacking time in the word, and I was cluttered by distractions that were all around me. Some good and some foolish, but I knew I needed a time to recharge my soul, a time to plug into the best energy source that’s out there.

The name of a place called Stone Mountain was in my head, not quite sure why, could have been my urge to get into the wild or because of the recent Childish Gambino mixtape, but I felt like Stone Mountain was the place I was to go. It’s a beautiful national park about an hour and a half or so from Greensboro. The plan was simple, leave early in the morning and head back home in the evening. I had one goal in mind, get away from the clutter and spend uninterrupted time with God.

I arrived in the morning and all that was around me was fog and rain, but I didn’t care, this was my time set aside and nothing would prevent me from it. I took the longest trail which allowed me to go up to the mountain, come back down and finish the loop at the Stone Mountain falls. It was beautiful. Even in the midst of the fog and the drizzling rain all around me, I knew God was trying to show me something. I felt very alone, yet I felt like God was there and that this was the best way for God speak. Now you may be thinking, “Josh must have had an incredible revelation!” Or, “I bet he met someone there and it later turned out to have been a messenger sent from heaven!” While these would have been cool (and slightly exaggerated), God doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes he is simple in what he is trying to show us, we just like to overcomplicate things. My purpose was to get rid of the distractions around me to get closer to God, and that’s exactly what I learned. Confused? Are you thinking, “It has to be more than that?” But that is one of the biggest keys I have learned in life! I was reading in 1 Corinthians a while back and verse 7:35 spoke to this idea, “I am saying this to you for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.” It was right in front of my face the whole time, I may not have even needed to take the day trip. That idea of getting rid of distractions was such a big thing for me. I often find myself in what free time I have outside of Church and school to watch endless hours on Netflix, or just avoid spending time in the word even though it is so vital to my life and walk. Another verse that I found on the mountain that day was James 1:21, “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” Boom, can’t get clearer than that can you?

So…what does that mean in my own life? You may be asking yourself the same question. My answer, prioritize. We all have responsibility, things we have for fun, people we want to spend time with, and it’s all important, but how do we approach our relationship with God. Is He first? None of the things I mentioned are wrong or evil, but when we put other people, things, jobs, whatever it may be in place of God, it becomes an idol. So in my life this may mean cutting out the hours of Netflix in the evenings, it may even mean saying no to extra activities even if it isn’t necessarily bad. God should be the number one in our lives, everything else can fall into place after that. In the same way your phone can’t help you when it’s dead, we can’t do anything without being plugged into the best source. Prioritize your life and relationships, put God first, and cut out the junk that clogs our thoughts. Learn to recharge your spirit. After all, you are royalty, Sons and Daughters of the king. Step into your potential, build strong relationships with those around you who are running after the same thing. Get your strength from the source, your heavenly Father, the King of all Kings. Learn to recharge your spirit.

Thanks for the read,
-Joshua

Camp KidJam and a Passion for the Next Generation

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Well this week I had the opportunity to go on another Daystar Church camp, and this week was camp KidJam. The camp is for the elementary aged kids, and this was my third time as a leader for the trip. Twenty five students went and six leaders went along, Pastor Allen and I were in charge of the ten boys on the trip. It was a blast, right from the start and didn’t stop. After we arrived and loaded up the rooms, we went to the first main session of the camp. We were all put on a team, made a team cheer, and came up with a team name (ours was red candy apple bacon, by far the most original name). After the session we broke into our church groups where we split into small groups. I have only just recently started leading with an elementary small group on Sunday mornings, so I was a little nervous with a group this young. It ended up going very well thanks to a lot of praying beforehand. Afterwards we went to late night, which is filled with crazy games and is just an overall great time. I was chosen for one of the games, I then had to have marshmallow fluff put all over my face and one of our student threw mini marshmallows at my face for them to hopefully try to stick. I didn’t win, but I still had a great time doing it.

The next day was the first full day of activities. We began the day with our lovely cafeteria with smiling workers (sarcasm), and then we were off and running. The kids were able to go to their desired tracks that had been chosen prior to arrival to camp. During this time the leaders were able to receive training from one of the lead directors of 252 Basics, the curriculum that is used on Sunday mornings. The training was incredible, it was for small group leaders and even though it was directly for elementary small groups, the material was still beneficial for all aspects of any next generation small groups. It was so cool to have God show me new things and ways to improve how I do small groups now. It was also very cool to have God give me an even deeper passion to help the next generation. Over the past year as being a high school small group leader, and now an elementary small group leader, God has really been speaking to me on how important it is to be invested in the next generation.

The next day was very similar to the first, but at the jam session, the teacher gave the salvation message and in small group we were able to share our stories with our kids and really invest in them. It was amazing, after I shared, a couple of the boys wanted to give their story and wanted to know more about the themes that we were talking about. After all of the fun that happened that night, all of the boys met up in one room and Allen asked if anyone had or wanted to make a decision for Christ, one of the boys spoke up and said he had made a decision during the jam session and my heart was overjoyed to hear that. It was so humbling to be there at that moment and see how much God works, even in some of the youngest people.

Looking back at the week it was so empowering to know how much our small group leaders mean to the children that they see every Sunday. I just love how simple things like having fun with the kids can change the course of someones life forever. It was also incredible to see God work through the kids, even when they are so young. It reminds me of what 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” It’s such a powerful statement because it is so true. Its so important to invest in the next generation, so elementary, middle and high school, they all need guidance and someone to speak life over them. It’s also so important for the leaders to be equipped themselves, in order to partner with parents and be another voice of truth in their life. Its so vital that we prepare students to have an authentic relationship with God and that they always make the wise choice in life.

It’s so good to look back at a trip like this and see how Gods moves in the lives of others. I cant wait to see them on Sunday and I am so excited to see what God has in store for me in the future in regards to the next generation. Thanks for the read, talk to you later.
-Joshua Thomas