As our devotion comes to a close, I want to thank you for contributing your time this week praying for our volunteers, students, families and staff. John and James remind us that, “He hears us in whatever we ask—as we ask according to His will (1 John 5:14). And that, “[the] prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16).

That power is God’s capacity to forgive us for our sins, offering us salvation through a relationship with Himself. 

And that is our hope during the week of AMPED: that each student would encounter God personally and trust Him with their eternity. We know your prayers are powerful, and that God is able. So thank you for acting on behalf of our students.

We believe, from this day forward, lives are going to be forever changed. Students are going to leave captured by the grace of the Gospel and never be the same—although we can’t guarantee they’ll make their bed and keep their room tidy. Sorry about that.

Your prayer may sound like this:
Dear Lord, Thank you that you invite us to be a part of Your plan in reaching Your people with the eternity-altering message of the Gospel. Again, we come before You and humbly ask that You personally encounter the students attending AMPED. Please help them to understand Your presence as they wrestle with understanding and choosing to live fully alive through Your son, Christ. We thank You and trust You that Your will is going to be completed and all who experience AMPED will strengthen their relationship with You. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Serving in a creative role allows me to express my God-given creativity—to, on a minute scale, experience the thrill of creating. The struggle comes when I’m mentally depleted, after a day that extracts every ounce of brain power. You know those days when, even though you feel like Emmet from The Lego Movie singing “Everything is Awesome,” you still struggle to complete even one last task before crawling into bed.

So what to do when you’re mentally exhausted. May I suggest dwelling?

Dwell means to “inhabit,” or to “remain, stay [or] abide.” For me, I’m tempted to inhabit the kitchen and abide in sugary snacks. But this isn’t the kind of dwelling I’m recommending. (For the record, I just ate some cake.) No, I’m talking about dwelling with God, basking in holy moments secluded in His presence—connected to the Vine with nutrient-rich water replenishing the branch.

Jeremiah 31:25 reads,

For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.

On behalf of God, in this Scripture moment, Jeremiah is acknowledging that though Judah is soon to be exiled with Israel, God plans to replenish the souls in need of sustenance and refreshment, [1] and that source is Him.

Even though this speaks to me as I type this, my thoughts center on the volunteers, staff and kids who, though it’s an “amped up” week, are going to experience exhaustion and be in need of soul replenshiment from above. As you spend time dwelling with God, being refreshed yourself, consider praying for those moments when fatigue arrives and threatens the momentum that was built when everyone at AMPED was (somewhat) refreshed.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

Dear Lord, please allow the volunteers, staff and kids to set aside time throughout the week to be still—to dwell with you. And in those moments, Lord, will you refresh their spirits and be the source needed for them to continue pressing forward throughout the remainder of AMPED. You are the Vine, and we trust that You alone are all we need—all they need—to be sustained, and for Your will to be done. Amen.

[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2043). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

A study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of having a purpose. During the experiment, two groups of children were asked to stand still—not an easy feat; one group was only instructed to hold still, while the other was asked to do the same, however, imagining that they are standing guard—they had a purpose. On average, the group without a purpose lasted roughly one minute. The group with the purpose averaged 11 minutes.   

One of the main verses of study during AMPED is found in the second half of John 10:10:

I have come so they may have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way.

Throughout Scripture we discover that Jesus has a purpose for His followers and calls them “to a rich, full, joyful life, one overflowing with meaningful activities under the personal favor and blessing of God and in continual fellowship with his people." [1]

In arguably one of the most recognizable passages, Jeremiah 29:11, God promises the Jewish nation, those exiled to Babylon, to return them home—to give them a future and a hope—that will restore them to oneness with Himself. However, the preceding verse shares a hard truth: it’ll be 70 years before this promise comes to fruition.

God says in the meantime to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile… for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7)—which is to say, a right relationship with God, one that becomes strengthened "amid persecution and tribulation" that points others toward Him—in a word, purpose. [1] Even while exiled, God gave the Jewish nation purpose: to be a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2).

Why? Because God knows that when we live with purpose, whether we find ourselves on the proverbial hilltop or sunk deep in the valley, living for His purposes gives us—not a safe—but an abundant, full, joyful life that is overflowing with meaningful activities that draw us closer to Him and His people. We become fully alive, even our "waiting" has purpose, as we point others to God, sepecifically children during AMPED.

And with children it is becoming ever more urgent considering a report by CBS News revealing that “[children] as young as 7 are engaging in self-harming behaviors such as cutting, burning or hitting themselves,” possibly due to a myriad of factors leading to feelings of depression, anger and negative thoughts.

While this may not be a reality for each child that graces our property, it will be a reality for some. So today, focus your prayers toward students attending AMPED because the truth is, no matter a student’s context, they need your prayers. As Auggie from Wonder reminds us, “Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”—everything from a lost helium-filled balloon to a wrecked ship—and need to know about the purpose they've been called to fulfill, one that will give them life in the fullest possible way.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

Dear Lord, thank you for the way you care for children. And thank you that we, as parents, coaches, teachers, family and friends are entrusted with their future. We ask that You continue molding their hearts and minds, preparing them for a week set aside to be in Your presence in a unique way. We ask that You use the volunteers, staff, curriculum and worship music to make an eternal impact upon their life and the lives of those around them. Please clear the distractions, attacks, both physical and spiritual, that stand to prevent them from living a purpose-filled life, resisting the pull to blend in when they were created to stand out—to live fully alive. Amen.

[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2043). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

From my understanding this clip can—at times—completely summarize parenting:

Parenting: no one leaves unscathed. But don’t worry… it can all be buffed out, right?

Not even Joseph and Mary escaped the perils of parenting. Luke, a physician, and historian recounts a time when Jesus was 12 years old and traveled to Jerusalem with his parents for the Passover festival (Luke 2:42). After the celebration, Joseph and Mary began their journey home, and for three days, were unaware that Jesus had stayed behind—they were free-range parenting before it was a thing (Luke 2:43-47). They returned to Jerusalem and found Him in the Temple.

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.

“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant (Luke 2:49-50).

Parenting is difficult, especially when so many other parents have mastered the art of making their wrecked ship appear to be a perfect yacht—thanks Pinterest.

Add a 24-hour news cycle of doom and gloom, family and work demands and all the other stresses that accompany being human, and it’s easy to agree that today parents need our prayers.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

Dear Lord, thank you for the parents who, amidst a complicated schedule, have placed a priority on their child’s faith formation. We ask that the parents will embrace the curriculum and be eager to engage their children beyond AMPED—working toward becoming the primary disciple-makers in their home. And during this arduous—yet rewarding—journey of raising a child to a become a faithful adult, please allow the parents to accept the scratches they cannot buff out, courage to buff out the scratches they can, and wisdom to know the difference. Amen

One of my favorite comedians, Brian Regan, describes a time when he witnessed a young child accidentally let go of his helium-filled balloon. As the balloon drifted skyward, the young child began to cry, prompting the parent to turn and say, “Why are you crying? It’s just a balloon! We’ll get you another one.”

Brian laments, “Sometimes I don’t think adults try hard enough to understand what kids are going through. If you want to relate to what he’s going through, imagine if you took your wallet out and it just started to float away—AHHH!” Mimicking a callous parent, Brians taunts, “Why are you acting like that? It’s a wallet! We’ll get you another.“

Since we don’t reside in Neverland, we grow up. And with each passing year, it seems like we become further disconnected from the realm of childhood—the innocence of it all. Sir Ken Robinson says that when we’re younger we take more risks, unaware of the pain of failure. Take for example a young child who, during a Christmas play, is unable to say frankincense yet boldly proclaims to baby Jesus, “Frank sends this!”

It’s that very childlike nature that Jesus calls attention to in Mark 10:13-16

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

Today, spend time in prayer for our volunteers and staff: that they would approach the week with a childlike faith—a faith filled with amazement and wonder that will overflow into the children.

Also, pray for the families of the volunteers and staff, as they, too, will make personal sacrifices of their own.

Your prayer may sound something like this:

Dear Lord, thank you for the caring volunteers and staff that You have called to welcome children and guide them toward Your Son, Christ. I pray that these volunteers and staff would recognize and accept the tremendous responsibility of entering an often unknown world with the goal of leading children to be captured by the grace of the Gospel—to learn to live fully alive in Christ. Use this week to prepare the hearts, minds and souls of the volunteers and staff; remind them of Your love and presence, and even though it’s not why they do it, allow them to be encouraged by the fruits of their labor. I also lift up their families to you. I thank You for their sacrifice and pray that they know how important their support is to their loved ones. Thank you, Lord, for these volunteers, staff and their families. We know that Your will will be done and lives are going to be forever changed. Amen.