Awakening Conference 2012 Promo

Awakening Conference 2012 is our biggest conference yet! We desire to Awaken Youth to an experience with Jesus Christ, train leaders, and inspire creativity in the local church!

Dates: April 26-28, 2012
Location: New Life Worship Center (Smithfield, Rhode Island)

Registration: $49 (Before March 4th)
Register Online: http://awakeningconference.net/registration/
Or Call: 401-232-5200

Like: http://www.facebook.com/awakeningconference
Follow: http://www.twitter.com/awakeningcon
Visit: http://www.awakeningconference.net

Speakers:
Chris Hill
Rich Wilkerson Jr
Robert Madu
Adam McCain
Chad Veach

Artists:
Lecrae
Aaron Gillespie
Ascend The Hill
Awakening

People who worked on this video…
DJ/Talent: Joey Santes/DJ PressPlay: https://twitter.com/#!/joeysantes

Camera Work: Evan Smith :  https://twitter.com/#!/emanwonder

Motion: Chars: http://cargocollective.com/chars

Motion: Carlos Leite: http://www.facebook.com/carlosleite7

Editing: Jordan Boyce: https://twitter.com/#!/Jordanboyce

Awakening Conference 2012

Awakening Conference 2012 is our biggest conference yet! We desire to Awaken youth to an experience with Jesus Christ, train leaders, and inspire creativity in the local church.

Register Now: awakeningconference.net 
Like Us: facebook.com/awakeningconference
Follow Us: twitter.com/awakeningcon

Speakers:
Chris Hill
Robert Madu
Rich Wilkerson Jr
Adam McCain
Chad Veach

Artists:
Lecrae
Aaron Gillespie
Ascend The Hill

 

Biblical Leadership

“He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” – John Maxwell

Anyone in a position of leadership for any time at all has heard one these phrases passed around. Although these sayings initially seem like great tidbits of wisdom they stand in error when they are applied to the Bible. Life isn’t Twitter, and there is infinitely more to Biblical leadership than the number of followers you have acquired.

Jesus Christ is the greatest leader throughout all of History. Whether you are a Christian or an Athiest you would be hard pressed to argue that point. Although Jesus was the epitome of leadership we see his followers desert Him at the time they are needed most. Throughout all of History we see the nation of Israel turn their backs on God and worship idols- does that mean God is a bad leader?  We see God send prophet after prophet who are ridiculed, reviled, and eventually killed by those who they were sent to lead. The entire population of the earth was wiped out because they didn’t listen to the warnings of Noah- was he not a leader?

My point isn’t to disprove this mode of thinking (though I wouldn’t mind that happening), but to remind you that you are a leader because you were appointed by God. Whether men respond or don’t respond, whether people mimic you or mock you, it is your divine purpose to lead through your passion, your consistency, and your response to the cross. Know that it is ok if you are taking a walk and no one is following you, as long as you are following in the footsteps of Christ.

Awakening Conference 2011

We have been working on Awakening Conference very hard for the last 3 months.  This is our 5th year so we wanted to go BIG- what that translated to is over 12 speakers, and 4 bands coming together in New England to create an atmosphere for youth to experience Jesus and equip youth pastors to build the Church.

Our guest Speakers this year are: Rich Wilkerson Jr, Elijah Waters, Annemarie Waters, Jude Fouquier, Robert Madu, Jordan Boyce, Marco DeBarros, Mark Schilling, Eric Peoples, and Jude Fouquier Jr

The Bands for 2011 are: Leeland, Flame (rapper), Awakening, and Merge Ahead.

New England is desperate for a youth revival in this barren land. This year we need more than a conference, we need an Awakening.

-Jordan Boyce

www.awakeningconference.net

Quiet Strength

Matt. 2:14 “But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.”

Confidence is key, right? That’s how the phrase goes… Everyone knows that confidence unlocks ones ability to be a leader, attract another, and be successful. As a culture we respect those who project strength and assurance, we value their opinion.

Id argue that one of the main elements of raps influence in the masses stems from the rapper’s overt confidence that they are the GREATEST OF ALL TIME! Every song shouts who they are, and what they made happen for themselves, and we all sing along because we deeply desire to have the confidence Eminem, Drake, or Lil Wayne puts into words. It makes sense- shout about how you tough you are, and maybe everyone will believe it.

But

When we look at Jesus we see a level of strength that is rarely found in men on Earth today. Here is a man who in the blink of an eye could release millions of angles to destroy every living creature on planet earth, but instead he stands before ants (men) and let them spit in his face, accuse him unjustly, and beat him sensless. He stands, a chained bloody mess, before a crowd of thousands all unanimously calling for his brutal death. He carried his own cross nearly half a mile through jeering crowds, being driven by whips like an animal. He laid motionless on his cross as spikes merged his flesh with the wood. He was raised up before the city of Jerusalem, an innocent man dying shamefully between two criminals. When he finally speaks, he cries out over the crowd, over the city, and over eternity “Forgive them, for they know not what they do”.

True strength is shown, not shouted.

My Version: Jonah’s Prayer (Jonah 2:1-9)

“Im in trouble, deep deep trouble.  Help Me! Hear my Cry! It was you who threw me into these ocean depths, this watery grave as waves smashed into me and flipped me upside down. I feel thrown away, i have no connection to your presence- can you even see me? Im sitting here depressed because I know Ill never lay eyes on the Holy Temple or feel the land of your chosen people under my feet.  This ocean has gripped me by the throat, strangling me it traveled down, down, down to the lowest canyon in the deepest ocean. It seemed as if hell itself grabbed me and held me under. I was as deep as a human will ever go, the gates of hell were closing in behind me- sealing my soul forever.

But God, you pulled me from that grave and spared my life. Oh God! I was slipping away, losing all forever and I remembered you, somehow you heard my prayer from hell- it made it out of the ocean, through the air, and into your throne-room in heaven. I pity those who worship meaningless things and powerless people- they are literally foreting the grace that could be theirs, they are walking away from their one true love.

But not me, Im worshipping you, God, to you alone I will thank for my salvation. Now, I will do whatever you have for me to do- I will make good on my promise to serve you.  You are the God of salvation and you chose whom you chose.”

How Not To Pray

A video groundZero made to show how NOT to pray:

Dont Be Kanye West

Don’t Be Kanye West

If you have not heard of Kanye West’s latest stunt at MTV’s VMA’s, I will assume that you have been giving your life to missions in a completely remote, cannibalistic land, or you are a card carrying senior citizen.
The news of Kanye upstaging 19 yr old Taylor Swift to yell unintelligently about Beyonce’s video being the “GREATEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME” rocketed through twitter like a highschool cheerleader avoiding the chess club in the school hallway. (Side Note: Have you seen Beyonce’s video? Its three girls dancing in unflattering one piece bathing suites for 4 minutes. I think the greater issue here is Kanye actually thinking that video is the greatest of all time).
At first viewing of Kanye’s intrusion I brushed it off as the yearly egomaniacal rant we have come to expect from Kanye, but as I thought about it through the night I got more and more angry, livid, actually. Thats when I determined the 3 aspects I will never be like Kanye in, and if you have read this far, I invite you to continue reading about the three areas you shouldn’t be like Kanye West.

Area #1. The Ladies.
Other than Kanye being piss drunk, I cannot determine why he would ever make such a big deal about Beyonce. Jay Z is her actual husband, and I didnt see him crying on stage (I dont see him making a full album of autotune either). Maybe Kanye felt like he was doing Jay Z a favor, standing up for his crew or something. Either way I have determined to never put a lady in the predicament he put Taylor Swift into. I recently saw an interview with the living intellectual Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson where he stated “Id like to see Kanye come up and try and take my award”. Firstly Fifty, Id like to see you actually get an award, but the statement he made is absolutely correct. I’d love to see Kanye swagger on stage to steal Eminems spotlight, we would get a live UFC fight between the two. Lets see the little man that Kanye is pick on someone who isnt a female.
Females innately are looking to men for protection, and it is our God mandated purpose to never put a female into a position where they are fearful, degraded, and most of all dishonored. A man is called to lay down his life for his wife, and it starts by first putting your sisters (ie anyone of the female gender) safety and well being before yourself. Where is your sense of honor Kanye West? The nation was shocked not because what you did was rude, but because deep in our core humanity knows evil when it sees it. What we witnessed was more than a man stealing a womans spotlight. We witnessed a man holding up a mirror to our culture, and the depths that the concept of being a man has fallen too.

Area #2. “Jack***” – President Obama
I would love to write out the full word, but I have a feeling I’ll get called in Pastor Marco’s office if I do. The shock of what Kanye did climbed all the way to the Oval Office, and in an interview a couple days later audio was leaked of our president calling Kanye the above statement. In the past 5 months this statement is the first from Obama’s mouth that both Republicans and Democrats fully support Obama on (now if he can only get Kanye to insult Healthcare he might actually get somewhere). You know you have hit rock bottom when the President of the Free World (who is also black if you didnt know) calls you a “Jack***”.
Lately in our culture we see the pervading “logic” that “peoples opinions mean nothing”, but when viewed through the above circumstances we see how that statement is false. Though we will all screw up at certain points in our lives, it is important that we watch our words, our actions, and our responses if we ever desire to be viewed as a leader or impact others in a positive way. I recently read an insightful statement from Bono on his work w. ridding Africa from abject poverty, it said “Being a celebrity is currency, and I intend to spend mine wisely”. Kanye’s outburst cost him more than his pride, it cost him dearly in his celebrity status and standing among the Americans that buy his albums and support his causes. If your desire is to affect the world around you in a positive way towards change, make sure you never do something where those who look up to you will think in their minds “Jack***”

Area #3 Let Go My Ego
If you dont get the above play on phrase, you must not be from the 90’s. We all know Kanye has an ego the size of Saturn (there are pictures of his ego taken w. the Hubble Telescope posted on Nasa.com), but that has always been put up w. for….well…I really dont know why we have put up with it for so long, maybe because “Graduation” was a good album. Kanye isn’t the first person to let his unfiltered view of himself get the best of him, and certainly wont be the last, but I beg you to use the opportunity to check yourself to see if people are repulsed by your lack of humility. Like the old saying goes “Pride comes before a fall”, we see politicians, preachers, and recently talk show hosts fall from public grace from outbursts or affairs gone embarrassingly public.
The scariest place for someone with influence to find themselves in is one where they are untouchable. If no one is able to talk to you straight or call you into account w. certain areas in your life then take that as your first sign of a major problem. Some of the most annoying people to be around are those that you have to tip toe around eggshells in every conversation hoping to not say the wrong word, phrase, or opinion that will set their ego spiraling into an awkward argumentative state- those people have gotten that way because they have not understood the same thing Kanye West has yet to understand: YOUR NO BIG DEAL! It does not matter what you have done that is so great! Know this reader, whatever you do will always be outdone in some way at some point by someone else, whether ruling the world of Hip Hop, the Church world, or the intellectual high ground it is all fleeting.

So Kanye, why dont you come back down to Earth, bow your head, and live like someone who doesn’t deserve whatever good is in his life- only then will you begin to understand why you exist, and who you exist for.

Triple Threat

Campaign: The Real Jesus

Blog: Triple Threat

Matt. 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.”

Do you know the person that is incredibly good at everything they do?  They seem to have a Midas touch- everything they do turns out awesome.  Later on in life the person who is good at everything isn’t that big of a deal, in fact, no one really cares, but in your high school days that good at everything guy reigns supreme.

In football they have a phrase to describe this good at everything guy. The word is: Triple Threat.  This label is given only to those that can run the ball expertly, kick the ball expertly, and pass the ball expertly. As you can imagine these Triple Threats are hard to come by in the game of football.

When Jesus Christ came to Earth over 2,000 years ago he came as a triple threat, obviously not in football, but a triple threat in leadership and authority. In the Old Testament we see three primary offices of authority: The Prophet, The Priest, and The King. We see people like Elijah walking in the authority of a prophet, Melchizedek as the authority of the priest, and King David as a mighty king. These men were anointed in one of these leadership areas and could not operate in both at the same time. They also were not the fulfillment of any of these areas, instead they operated completely under God- doing what works he set forth for them to accomplish. All of these men were not perfect or sinless and many failed to do exactly what God would have them do: except Christ.

Jesus is the expert and literal fulfillment in all three of these anointed roles, making him the original Triple Threat. He did more than prophecy, he fulfilled prophecy. He did more than present the sacrifice, He became the sacrifice. He was more than a king, He is the King of all kings. Over the next three blogs I am going to write about the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King individually and in more detail than we covered on Friday Night, and we are going to determine how it effects our Faith, Church, and Lives.

My Generation Intern Experience

My name is Jordan Boyce.  I am an 18 yr old teenager who moved across the country to go to the internship that overtook my dreams countless times from the age of 15. It wasn’t easy to pull away from my youth church, family, and friends to move 3,000 miles away immediately after high-school, but I am more convinced now than ever before that Generation Interns was Gods idea and not my own. 

 

September

If you had asked if I knew who I was and had a solid foundation Christ when I arrived in Seattle I would tell you that my identity and foundation were unshakable.  Ironically the Bible claims that everything that can be shaken…will be shaken. Pastor Jude started out the year with the revelation from Acts 6 that the Apostles gave themselves to the study of the word and to prayer.  This shook me. Give yourself to word and prayer.  I still struggle with reading my Bible everyday, and I still desire to pray so much more than I do now…but I will never be the same in my thinking about the Bible and prayer. It is not something to add to yourself, it is something to which you give yourself. I know that as I continue to grow in my life that phrase spoken in my mind by the unforgettable voice of Pastor Jude will reverberate for as long as I live, driving me back to that place of being given to the word and prayer.

 

October

As I was leaving Rhode Island I told many of my friends that I wanted to be in a place where I could grow as intern #82- just a face in the crowd with no last name or previous accomplishments of many merit.  Though this was exactly what I needed, I underestimated what Christ would do to someone asking to be humbled. My October/November months I would constantly ask myself “What am I doing here?”.  I had gotten what I asked for.  It was through these times that I would crave prayer in the morning or Basic Doctrine.  These had become escapes for me, and the few reasons I wanted to stay.  Christ was ripping from me my pride, my self-centeredness, and my thinking that I had something to say to which everyone needed to listen.  It seems like I had a crash course with all those proverbs that would essentially say “Shut up, and listen”. I felt no movement, no accomplishment, and no glory- Christ kept me perfectly still and in the stillness I remembered who was God.  Christ got me to shut up long enough to stop telling people about Christ and actually meet Him myself. 

 

November

During this month I had the chance to go on a trip across America to New York with the infamous Pastor Jude Fouquier.  Pastor Jude was the reason I had wanted to be an intern in the first place.  The unique thing about Pastor Jude is that he is the same Pastor Jude in Seattle, in New York, in a pulpit, or out of one.  Of the dozen of life changing things I learned on that short trip two stand out above the rest. The first is that Pastor Jude is serious about Jesus Christ.  In the waiting area he talks about Him, on the plane He reads about him, in the hotel room he prays to Him, and in the pulpit he preaches about Him. His fervor for Christ is unmatched, and more importantly, it is contagious. The second is that Pastor Jude is just as serious about having fun.  Ill never forget all the stares we got when Pastor Jude decided to tune into a portion of “The Office” during the flight- his laugh could be heard in the cockpit. When Pastor Jude was at dinner with a group of world weary pastors he talked about the joy of ministry, told the same hilarious stories, and electrified the atmosphere with the pure joy he carries with him.  We walked back to the hotel room waking half the floor with our uncontrollable laughter. It seems Pastor Jude has chosen to let no one outdo him in seriousness, or having fun- which is a decision I have decided to take on in my life.

 

December

Finally I began to feel at home in The City Church referring to Pastor Wendell and Gini as my pastors, GC as my youth group, and Seattle as my city. I decided that 4 months in Generation Interns was most certainly not long enough. Things began to kick into high gear as the Intern Christmas part was announced along with The GC College Cruise, which was almost immediately, coined the infamous “Booze Cruise”.  Interns citywide ignored the “no dating” policy by immediately asking friends and other interns to attend the Booze Cruise with them. An announcement was soon made stating that we could not bring dates to the Booze Cruise, only friends of the opposite gender…okay.  Towards the end of December the interns gathered for to celebrate Christmas as one. I can remember few times in my life where I felt more awkward than standing in front of 100 people rapping a Christmas song with Spencer to a Vanilla Ice beat blaring from my tiny Iphone speaker through a microphone so all in the room could enjoy these twisted sights and sounds Pastor Jon Smith created to torture us for the fun of others. It was at this party that I saw a side of my friend Dave Fernandez that i never knew existed. Ironically by the time I finally feel like I am home in Seattle I get on a flight to return to my real home: Rhode Island.

I returned home not expecting to give of myself, but was immediately thrust back into ministry mostly by coming alongside my friends who had become “weary in doing good”, I discovered during this time that I had more deposited in me during those 4 months than I had originally thought. What I had to give my home this time around was a world away than what I had to offer just 4 months prior.  I knew I was still like a pot in the hands of God, but I was amazed at the change He had done in me through Generation Interns without me even being aware of the majority of it.

 

January

I arrive back at interns during the third week in January. Pastor Jude dives in Basice Doctrine II as the second half of the year kicks off. In the end of January a small group of interns and I decided, during doctrine class, to leave in 2 hours for Portland to attend GenUnleash Conference. As worship kicks off with 3,000 teenagers are packed into City Bible Church, I am inspired. The lights, the music, the words all blended together to capture every heart in the majesty of Christ. It is experiences like these that I will hold in my heart forever.

 

February

In early February Pastor Judah Smith announces that the workshops at this years GC Conference will be preached entirely by interns this year- myself being one of them. Personally this statement could not have been more of a shock; I even remember my friend Stephen laughing thinking Pastor Judah was joking. The next 8 weeks before conference was spent gearing up for our messages. During this time we met with Pastor Judah weekly at 5:55 am, where he taught us about effective communication. In just one hour with Pastor Judah I learned more about communication than I thought I would all year combined.  I will hold those times of mentoring in my heart forever, because I know just how many youth pastors worldwide would give their whole paycheck to spend one hour with Judah Smith talking about preaching and leading. It was such an honor to sit under him during the year.

 

March

Finally Generation Church Conference came at the tail end of March bringing 2,500 teenagers from around the world with it.  This was the moment when I along with 5 other interns were to preach- thinking back to that event I am shocked that Pastor Judah chose to have faith in a bunch of 18-20 yr olds. The support in that experience was overwhelming. My good friends Caleb and Dave prayed for me before the sermon and made fun of the fact that the one day I ever cut myself shaving was that day. Pastor Jon Smith introduced me- which meant so much to me, no one has captured more of my respect in such a short time as Pastor Jon. In the beginning of the intern year Pastor Jude stated that Pastor Jon was going to be the most impacting person in our intern year- he was right. My good friend from Hillsong Church in Australia, Adrian, was doing sound, and all my good friends were filling the first few rows. That message was the most fun time I have EVER had in my preaching, and it was impacting also. I know that day was a leap in one aspect of my growth, and I thank God for surrounding me so many awesome people to create that experience.

 

April

Immediately after the epic GC Conference a group of us interns flew off to the fabulous Las Vegas on a week long mission trip supporting Pastor Benny & Wendy Perez at The Church at South Las Vegas. We helped with The Kids at The Church at South Las Vegas, prayed with The Staff at The Church at South Las Vegas, and participated in Outreach at…you get the picture. Attending their youth church; Seven was an incredible experience. They had their entire lobby was set with blaring music (the louder the better), a stage complete with an open mic, and a tangibly excited atmosphere.  This place was legit. Inside, worship was loud and crazy, the youth were serious, and the preaching was real talk. Seven is an awesome example to me of how youth church should be serious about Christ, and serious about fun- If Las Vegas is all about being over the top in all they do, then The Church at South Las Vegas has decided take that on- creating a church as alive and buzzing as the city it serves. 

 

May

It was the beginning of the end as May 18th soon approached. I prepared to coast into May considering that interns was wrapping up, but Pastor Jon returned from a DC trip at the beginning of May bringing a new anointing to the internship.  Things began to accelerate in prayer and worship as the end drew closer. Interns became like a rocket just about to break through the atmosphere- the pressure got highest, and the heat was at its most intense.  The relationships that had been formed during the year began drawing closer as their time began to run out.  God gave me the greatest group of friends to do life with this year, and I already miss each of them immensely. There are few people in this world who can, like Jesus, enjoy life and enjoy God at the same time, and I found a few of those people in my short year in Seattle.

A few days before graduation we had a 10k race for all the interns. That race reflected my year at interns- though I was frustrated at times, wanted to quit halfway through, and at times too tired to care- I put my head down and ran the race set before me.

 

I finished this race on May 18th as I awkwardly hugged and handshaked every City Church pastor imaginable. I gained friendships that I will have all my years, I gained mentors who have poured into me more than they will ever know, and I gained knowledge of Christ, His Church, and His People. Above all I gained a sturdy foundation in which Christ is the cornerstone. It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me and as I return to Rhode Island the life I now live, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.