Marshall's Blog

      So much about this Summer has been busy, hectic, and crazy fun. Those that were involved with our Summer Youth and Kids activities were incredibly blessed in their efforts and I have seen relationships deepen and change quickly under the compressed circumstances of mission trip and camp. In each trip we gathered, worshiped together, and told each other the truth and heard the truth from each other. Whether that was from scripture or from our encouragements of one another throughout each trip. Every kid and adult that joined us this Summer, whether they intended to or not became part of our Youth and Kids family here at United Methodist Church Karnes City. There was not a person too weird or "unpopular" to gather with us, and join us. Our kids have become old pros at ministering an important part of the Gospel which is that "You Belong Here."       If a person cannot see themselves as part of the group, or see past a disingenuous invitation, ...

      I've been listening to the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast by Christianity Today. It is the rise and fall of not only a significant church in our culture, but also the rise and fall of a genuinely polarizing figure, Mark Driscoll. I am amazed to hear some of the things said and written in 2014 through my 2021 head phones. I am remembering how I felt back then and how differently I feel now. I can see how his tough male bravado mixed with a promise of authentic Christianity rang strongly in the ears of his flock. If I had been older, in a different spot in life, I could see myself being swept up in something like that. I will not delude myself into thinking, that I would somehow be stronger than such a strong personality. Stonger than the accusing voice in the room that will not be denied, stronger than the chorus of yeses and amens. I believe a different set of circumstances could have led me to different places that seem somewhat unthinkable as I couch them...

      I am about to embark on a five day youth camp after a quick turn around from taking the kids on a 9 day mission trip. The calendar is always kinder when we are a few months out, but is sterner the closer we get to time. That may be due to my general inexperience with life or that I am still young enough to overestimate myself on a regular basis. OR it may be general pride that says I can handle that. But as I move forward I am finding out something different. When I was young and single being gone was an adventure. The only one there to miss you is your apartment and the road was always calling me. Now I feel the pull of what happens when I am gone.       It is an interesting feeling being missed, but it is a whole other level when it is your wife and child missing you. You don't feel the miles, but you really feel the days. Leaving is tough, but coming back is awesome! Just thinking about it reminds me of the beginning of the movie Love Act...

     How does the work of the Lord get done? Is it through tireless effort or through the Spirit Himself? I find myself working tirelessly to make things happen, I worry quite a bit, and tend to be endlessly caught up in the idea that there is a better mousetrap so to speak. That is not the best metaphor for ministry, but maybe it is telling that it is the one that comes to mind when I think about striving. The truth about Mouse traps whether they are in a family board game, a movie, or in real life the most interesting part of a mouse trap is its faulty nature. Even at its best engineering there a myriad of ways that a mouse trap can fail, but only one way it can work. So the planning, engineering, and building phases are used not to better the outcome(at its best it alwasy ends with a trapped mouse), but to limit the amount of failures it will encounter.       A great amount of literature, air time, and conferences are dedicated to the desire to avoi...

Summer is now here. By the grace of God South Texas had a true spring in every sense of the word and as things are heating up and school is ending, we enter a time for this part of the country that approximates hiatus. We take a break from certain events and busy times to hopefully plan a vacation and rest in this season. For a youth worker it is tempting to resist rest in this season, because this brief respite from typical onslaught of school activities give ample opportunities to connect and support young people in ways not available to us Youth Workers during the school year. As I learned last year during lockdown those opportunities for mission trips and camps are not guaranteed. Making the most of those special moments is quite a large part of the job. I do not remember every youth group meeting I had as a young man, nor do I remember everything that I learned. I have several good impressions from those times, but camp changed me, mission trips changed me.  I started out ...

 What happens when we lose our focus? Do we really lose anything at first? It seems to me that losing your focus is deceptive, as we start to accept losses as a matter of course and develop a tolerance for failure and often even a fondness for failure. It feels good to loosen our belts, fall off the wagon, watch that TV show instead of reading a bit more to expand our minds and souls. I have always found it easier to stay focused at the start of the diet, the commitment, the ride, but as human beings our eyes wander and our brains wonder, did I really need to do this, can't I just... you can fill in the blanks.      Scripture uses the comparison of sheep to people most often because the parallels are undeniable. We are easily led until we get lost. We cannot be alone safely, and are prone to predators. I had heard recently that sheep have extremely large peripheral vision to the tune of 270 and 320 degrees, and ours is about 155 degrees. This is great for sheep when...

 Graduates you are about to embark on a new chapter of your life. You will not feel any different than you do today, but you will have the world open itself up to you in ways you don’t even know yet. Even if you do not change addresses or immediately pack your bags ahead of graduation, people will begin to place you in a different category in their expectations of you, and for that you have absolutely no control. That is the amazing and terrifying fact of growing up. And by growing up you are about to realize a few things as you make your way in this world. That every decision, good and bad comes with a cost. That relationships grow and shrink with the time and effort that we put into them. That being overwhelmed does not stop the world from turning and time marches on regardless of our readiness to meet its demands. With any luck you will find friendship and enmity, love and heartbreak, success and failure, people that love you no matter what, and people that never seem to be im...