Chasing Elephants Podcast

1. Keep your spiritual priorities intact. Christ First — He saved you and called you. Family Second — If you can’t serve your family effectively, you won’t serve the Lord’s church that way. Church/Ministry Third — God has chosen you to serve His people in the local church. 2. Make your meetings count. Have an agenda. Receive prayer request. Allow time for team members to share some “God-moments.”...

I. FOUNDATION of an Effective Student Ministry Biblical Philosophy  The Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40 CSB) The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20 CSB) Ministry Philosophy Vision & Mission Statement…as well as the Core Values Should answer the questions, “Who we are. What we believe. Why do we exist?” Should be concise, clear, and easily repeatable. II. PILLARS of an Effective Student Ministry Eq...

Fruit Filled Freedom  Galatians 5:15-26 What Paul teaches on Freedom:  Walk by the Spirit.  Our flesh tells us the opposite of the Spirit. You're either walking by the Spirit or the flesh. You can't be a part time spirit walkers and part time flesh walkers. We have to walk by the Spirit 24/7.  Be led by the Spirit.  Submit and subscribe to the wisdom and discernment of the Spirit.  Leverage the fr...

Join us from Youth Pastor Summit as Drew Worsham talks about burnout and riding ourselves of the mindset of slaves and orphans.  Leviticus 2:14 - We are no longer slaves, so we need to rid ourselves of the slave mindset Three Lies Slaves Believe:  I'll never have enough  Exodus 16  Be brave. Face the storm. Trust that God is going to give you what you need.  I'll never be enough Numbers 13 Perform...

What a Friend We have in Jesus God's mission for us is to not throw out the wish dream of friendship, it's to find that kind of friendship in Him.  Two Truths on Prayer:  prayer is not a performance, it's a place to be honest  a wandering mind in prayer is actually a gift From the very beginning, God took the day off to spend time with us. He pursues us.  In the gospels, the One who has the answer...

Biblical Truth:  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” – Colossians 3:23 (NIV) “So, whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” – 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) Leadership Truth: “The ultimate goal is not that we would do good things for others. It’s not even to start churches or share our faith. The ultimate...

“ I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks, and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true. ” – Walt Disney (from the Disney Way) 5 Traits of a Visionary Leader (Which we teach students at SLU 101) They talk with GOD OFTEN. They have an UNSHAKABLE FAITH They SEE IT FIRST They have a strong DRIVE, FOCUS, and STAMINA to FINISH They are willing to TAKE RISK OTHER WON...

Using the backdrop of Jeff's Ph. D., they discuss the question, "Why is learning so important to being a leader?"  Learning gives us the tools to know ourselves better and then use that to lead others well.  The hard parts of learning pushes us to deepen our devotion with the Lord.  Learning in this capacity is unique because you have to prove your ideas and be specific about what you mean by cert...

Why do we call it Good Friday? Because Jesus is the greatest good God could have given to mankind.  Luke 23:32-38 "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  know not what they do - these people did not understand that this very event was for them. forgive - comes from the same word as grace. It's basically grace in action. present tense - what if every time someone mocked Jesus, He sa...

Brent walks through John 12:9-19 The story builds and even includes Lazarus in John 12:9-11. There is a plot to destroy any evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.  If power is your ultimate goal, it will ultimately be your downfall. A line blurred is always a line crossed.  Hosannah - give salvation now found in Psalm 118:25  Main Takeaway: What you worship will either destroy you or it will deliver...

What is Lent?   Lent is a 40-day period built around three traditional pillars: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It's a time of preparation for Easter when the Resurrection Jesus is celebrated. During Lent, prayer is made by studying the Bible, serving others by giving alms, and developing self-control by fasting.   It’s a 40-day period to commemorate the 40 days Christ spent fasting in the desert...

What is Lent?   Lent is a 40-day period built around three traditional pillars: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It's a time of preparation for Easter when the Resurrection Jesus is celebrated. During Lent, prayer is made by studying the Bible, serving others by giving alms, and developing self-control by fasting.   It’s a 40-day period to commemorate the 40 days Christ spent fasting in the desert...

This year during The LIFT Tour, we got to peak around the curtain of John 11, taking the approach of a docuseries.  Takeaways from the story:  The purpose of Jesus's miracles was not to make one person's life better, He worked so that there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that He is the Messiah.  When you're the storyteller, you don't have to be in a hurry. Jesus's response shows that He was so...

Pilgrimage is the healthiest paradigm of disciple-making and the journey we were created for.  A pilgrim is one who wanders well towards the heaven country.  To live as a citizen of heaven, we have to understand the heaven country is our destination as we wander.  The pilgrimage paradigm is healthy because... it's all encompassing   it guards our minds and hearts against faulty thinking   Characte...

Brent and Jeff begin with a story of the last flowers that Dr. King sent his wife.   She was surprised to find they were artificial flowers and thought the florist sent it by mistake. When she asked her husband about this, he surprised her by say that is what he intended to send.   He wanted her to have flowers that would always keep . Today the guys discuss ideas to help readers make Black Histor...

Brent and Jeff take time to reflect on Black History Month, share what this month means to them and to unpack the history of this month.  Understanding the History:  Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,”...

As they continue to explore this topic, Brent and Jeff share some practical principles: Know Your Position : You need to know your theological position and have a healthy view of Scripture. Our view of theology cannot waiver based on what is the current hot topic in culture. When you start with doctrine, you are not discounting people’s feelings.  We must be redemptive in our tone. Compassion Does...

After praying deeply and listening intently, Jeff outlines several steps on how to view this issue: What this Conversation is Not Backstory and State of Current Culture View from a Macro Level Personal Perspective and Truth: Jeff’s Letters to White People and Black People   How Should We ALL Respond PRAYER Now, I’m sure, when I start there, most of my African American friends will say (and I under...

Key Ideas Explored: In Part One of this series, we answered “ what does the Bible say when dealing with the question of Sexual Ethics?” Today we will discuss with how the Bible should inform our attitude and posture  regarding this topic of sexuality. As Christians, we need to take the posture of Team Abraham , not take the posture of Team Brimstone (see Genesis 18-19 ).    We are called to be sal...

Key Questions Asked: What does the Bible say about sexual sin and immortality?  See the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19.  They had become their identity in sin. They crossed a point of no return. The sexual immortality took over their life. They refused to accept freedom.  Abraham is pleading with God asking to save the good, but he couldn’t find any. God is a God who protects. The ci...

Key Questions: What are some ways we can live out the DNA of a dream? How do you take the dream and create action steps?   Practical Principles to Live Out Your Dreams:  Be Faithful and Be Obedient   Have Vision and Communicate your Dream Vision for your dream: what’s our vision? The vision needs to be simple yet compelling. Every dream wants to change something … when you communicate the dream. I...

Key Questions asked: What does God want?  What are the desires of God?  What is the will of God? How do we pursue it?   KEY POINTS OF THE DNA OF THE DREAM God has a hidden will and a revealed will. God knows the past, future, etc. God has given us the freedom. The Bible is truth.  Until we know the who we won’t know the what or how or why ? What would I do for the glory of God if I knew I would no...

Looking into 2023 and a New Year . As followers of Jesus. How do we get to the end of the year and recalibrate? How should we walk into 2023? Brent and Jeff share topics they are challenging the process on personally as they start a new year and strive to live for God in 2023. Jeff Be a man and a leader with Godly character Personal integrity Moral courage. Stand up for righteousness. Moral challe...

Stay tuned because after this episode, they take a break for the holidays and will be back on December 30th for a little New Year’s kick off. Connect with SLU: Instagram Register for SLU Learn more about The LIFT Tour Learn more about YPS Connect with our Hosts: Brent's Instagram Brent's Twitter Jeff's Instagram Jeff's Twitter

The Wise Men The conclusion we should all have after reading the scripture is we are all the supporting cast. The wise men. They didn’t see baby Jesus. They saw toddler Jesus. The shepherds saw the baby Jesus. The magi followed the stars, and they would have been walking months to see Jesus. Jesus came for all. Everyone. It was a cool thing they came from far away, and Jesus wanted them to meet Je...