YOUTHINTHECORNER

We discovered a little over a week ago that we were going to have a boy.  This is the first opportunity I have had to blog on the subject.  When the tech told us that it was going to be a boy…we were a bit surprised and elated and admittedly I began to tear up.  When the tech walked out I broke down and cried like a baby.  Not out of joy but out of a bit of fear.  I am now going to be the father or a son.  That has a deep meaning to me.  Not that being a father to 2 beautiful daughters is something to be taken lightly but to raise a boy who will become a man that will lead a family of his own is a completely different thing.

You see Rheaumes are not that great at raising sons.  My father was abusive.  His father was abusive towards him and on down the line it went.  I still carry a lot of STUFF because of the sins of my father.  I know that I am a new creation in Christ however, the fear remains.

HOWEVER, Audra reminded me of a story I told her once about a conversation I had with my mother.  I was about 11 years old and my mother was telling me about how I was going to do great things with my life…I teared up and told her that I had a feeling deep within me that it was not me who would do great things but my son.  So, Audra always knew one day we would have a son because she feels (as do I ) that was a word from God spoken into my spirit.  So I go into this with great humility and awe.  Knowing that God has blessed me with a son to give him glory that one day he will do great things for the glory of God.

Anyway, with all of that…at the core I am simply a happy daddy.  I have a wonderful wife who is a wonderful mother.  I have 2 amazing daughters and I have a son on the way…Sean-Thomas…son I can’t wait to meet you.

As Pointe North ventures into becoming more focused on Family Ministries I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to our team.  I have the pleasure of guiding these talented people into the next phase of ministry for Pointe North.

I oversee the overall Family ministry and its direction/resource and vision.  I also run Alive Youth Ministries which is comprised of the Alive Worship Experience, Huddle Groups and the discipleship venues, Pulse and Triage.

Hope Murphy is our Children’s pastor and oversees the spiritual development of our K4-5th graders.  She produces Planet Changers, Kids Corner and our Royal Rangers/MPact Girls ministries.

Tiffany Hill is our Nursery director and she oversees Tots Landing our Nursery program at Pointe North.  She directs her team and is growing into a full fledged resource for parents.

Bobby Webster is our Campus pastor for Student Ministries.  He visits area High School and Middle School campuses spending time connecting with students where they are.  Bobby is also vital in our parent connections ministry.

Nancy Webster is the Ministry Assistant for Family Ministries.  She holds the whole thing together.  She is the administrative arm to all of our ministries and makes us look quite honestly much better than we really are.

Coming soon:  Intern for Middle School Ministries.

I am blessed to work with this team and cannot wait to see what God has in store in 2010 for the families in Berkeley County.

We are a long way off from being what I believe God wants us to be as a “Family Ministry”  here at Pointe North but I feel like we are heading towards some exciting things.  Yesterday, Bobby Webster (our Campus Pastor) and I went to the Rethink Youth Ministry network in Columbia South Carolina.  Steve Wright, author of “reThink” was the speaker and posed some startling insight into the future of Youth Ministry and its transition into a family ministry model.  Now with most conference speakers I don’t buy totally into everything they say but he did give me some baseline to start with as we adapt our version of a family ministry.  Here are some thoughts that I took away from yesterday that will be helpful to you parents from every background.

• As a youth pastor rather than mentor I/we need to do a better job of teaching parents to mentor
• The best way to get kids involved in their faith is to get their parents involved in their faith
• We need to establish an intentional plan of discipleship for families
• We need to pray for our families…HARD
• When this thing is fleshed out we will 1) Resource = we will provide whatever you need to assist you in being the primary discipler of your kid 2) Train = we will train you in multiple venues, in multiple ways 3) Involve = we want you involved primarily in discipling your kids then, we want you involved in the ministries that are supporting the spiritual development…staffing Alive, KidsPointe and TotsLanding.

I am excited about what God is doing in this ministry and I beg you to pray for me that God grants me wisdom and knowledge and patience.  This is a process that will take years to flesh out and I am not usually a man of patience.

It occurs to me that I haven’t blogged about the biggest news to hit the Rheaume family in 4 years and that is the coming addition of a new child.  This is a surprise blessing from God.  I am both excited and anxious about a new baby in our lives…I never saw myself as a father with more than 2 children.  I am praying for wisdom and strength.  My wife is a working mom by calling and choice.  I am a pastor of a growing ministry and making time is hard enough.  I am in the process of simplifying every other thing in my life in order to increase my margins.  That being said the prayer of the season is BOY.  I would love to have a son.  I would love another daughter…but hey, I’ve done that twice already.  So, let’s all join together each and every night and pray, “Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord will give Sean a boy. – Amen”

On a side note another positive is that my wife is amazing when pregnant.  She glows and is more beautiful than ever.  So, this summer a blockbuster of a different kind is coming Baby Rheaume III.

Ok Satan take notice…

I’d like to have a word with you.  It is time that you the prince of darkness listens for once.  I am tired.  I am tired of you attacking my children.  I am tired of you thinking that you own music, culture and the arts.  I am sick of your lies that tell our kids that they are not pretty enough, strong enough or cool enough to go on.  I am tired of your poisons that are going into the bloodstream of our young people.  I am tired to beautiful girls crying looking in the mirror because your minion vanity crushes her spirit.  I am tired of the purity of young men being stolen by pornography thanks to your puppet lust.  I am sick and tired of students thinking that the only way to have fun is through rebellion.  I have had enough.

I have had enough of you tearing families apart…I am done with fathers standing by emotionless while their children cry out for someone to hold.  I am done with parents feeling like they cannot control their child anymore…I am claiming the families back!

I will not allow you to lie to me and tell me that we are not making a difference.  I will not allow you to discourage me with the thoughts that the fight is just too big.  I will not let you whisper distractions into my spirit any more.

We choose love.  We choose to love these teenagers that are thrown away.  We choose to invest in their lives believing that they too will be attacking you soon.  We choose to love families and not judge them, equip them and not abandon them!

Be on alert Satan, your time is at hand we are about to PRAY!

Today is my wife’s birthday.  She was gone for a week with my girls for spring break to visit her mother and it was torturous.  I have learned that my life doesn’t work nearly as well without her.  She is my best friend, my favorite person to make laugh and I love being her husband.  I am good at it.  I thank God that he blessed me with her.  She is my worship pastor for our youth ministry, one of the reasons being that her voice still melts me.  She is an incredible mommy.  She is the teacher every student at Macedonia wants to have.  She is gorgeous and her eyes still pierce my heart.

I have known her for over 15 years, we have been married for 10 of those.  She has always had a part of my heart.  She is so darn lovable.

I love you baby, Happy Birthday.

Avery turned 3 today. If Emily is my princess, Avery is my joy.  3 years ago, I was scared to death of a second child.  We were broke, you were a bit of a surprise and I was scared.  When I held her, I was overcome with questions and fear.  Then, you did something that amazed me…you melted my heart.  You made me laugh harder than anyone has ever done.  You are as sweet as you are tough.  You will hug me and kiss my cheek then jump on me and want to wrestle.  I don’t know if the world is ready for 2 personalities like ours but I can’t wait to find out…I love you to death baby…happy birthday!

My life was changed forever.  Emily was born and I was immediately wooped!  She had spikey red hair and the biggest eyes I had ever seen (actually looked like a troll).  She was the nurses favorite, one nurse actually came and got her at 3:00 AM to show her off!  She has alwaysbeen my princess.  Her hugs melt me and her sweetness is contagious.  When she was a baby no one could quiet her cries like her daddy.  I have never wept quite as much as when I held her in my arms the first night.  I thank God for the priveledge of raising her.

Happy Birthday sweetheart.

By the time the students get to me the game is half over.  I understand that though it is me on the stage screaming my guts out it is YOUR prayers that have tilled the soil of the hearts of these teenagers so that they may be sensitive to the Gospel.  When I accepted Christ it was after a lot of running from God.  My Grandmother however, never stopped praying for me.  When I told her she grinned and said “I knew it!”.  Every night this old lady sat in her bed with her Bible in her hand and prayed for a grandson that needed Jesus.  This was years before I prayed for Jesus and entered into a Church.  So, was it my youth pastor that led me or those prayers…both.  However, I know that it takes YOUR prayers for these teenagers to come to Jesus.  So, I emplore you.  PRAY!  Send this blog to your friends and have them pray.  If you know of a student who comes to our ministry and yet their parents attend another church, send this to them and have them PRAY!

Because by the time they get to me, the game is half over.

Now that my mistake series is finished I wanted to blog about something personal.  My 6 year old gave me an “odd” gift for Christmas.  She gave me a Batman pillow.  I don’t know why?  I have never asked for a batman pillow.  I have never speant a lot of time talking about Batman or pillows but according to my wife she was adament about getting me this pillow.  They had to go to 3 stores to find it!  When I opened it Christmas eve morning she was BEAMING!  She was so proud of her gift.  I admit that I teared up watching her joy.

Tomorrow, many of us will be going to church.  Many of us will sing songs, read the Bible and give our offerings.  You ever wonder how small our offerings of worship are considering the AWESOMENESS of God?  However, I bet just like that little pillow warmed my heart, if you go to God with YOUR GIFTS  with ALL your heart.  I believe God’s heart will warmed.

May God be blessed with all of our versions of B atman Pillows tomorrow.