Q:  What were some of the things that led to your decision to try out for American Idol? 

 A: Tasha, “My decision to try out for American Idol was somewhat spontaneous, but a long time coming. I am certainly a lover of all things creative, but especially music! Before Idol, I had never really auditioned for anything in my life, much less sang anything but church music! Simply put though, I felt God put it in my heart to audition while I was praying the week before the first round of the competition. I wasn’t sure what would come of it, I simply wanted to be obedient. It certainly tested me, as I wasn’t keen on the idea of being so vulnerable on national television. I wasn’t completely confident in my gifts either. Too often, I compared my talent to others’, instead of believing myself to be a unique creation of God’s. One by one, each of those insecurities were dealt with throughout the process. I always tell people in ministry, it’s more important what God is doing inside of you and how you are growing closer to Him than it is how “successful” your ministry seems—and you should model that to those you lead. Throughout this American Idol experience, I am getting to know myself in a deeper way and that is valuable to me as a minister and a musician. For years, many people held the opinion that a career in music and pastoral ministry were at odds, however I believe they infuse each other with life and perspective… and I am thankful for the opportunity for growth that American Idol has afforded me.”

Q: What do you hope to gain from your experience being in American idol?

A: Tasha, “To grow and grow others—I try to make that the goal for every experience in life.”

Q:  We would love to hear more about your story and what you have seen God do in your life.  What are some things in your life that has led you to a point where you are in your relationship with God?

 A: Tasha, “I’d like to share a bit of my testimony…

My spiritual journey began at a young age. Christianity was present in our family, yet I never fully had an encounter with God until I was a young teenager. I passionately pursued the things of God and continued to do so until my freshman year of college. Then my local congregation experienced a painful church split and I was embittered by the entire situation. At that time in my life, I had left home and friends to attend school, I had lost my church family, and I had lost confidence in much of what I knew had believed about Christianity. I decided to change my major, which was then music, to religion, and was then consumed by my studies. I searched out virtually every religion and in one week, I would attend mosque, synagogue and a Buddhist meditation camp. My own open-mindedness, coupled with some of the philosophies I was exposed, caused my faith to be tested in ways that were painful, yet necessary for what God had planned for my journey.

Brokenhearted from experiencing a church split, hurt by Christians and Christian leaders, and tormented by my own questions, I sank into depression and contemplated suicide. At the “lowest” point of my life, I realized God, as I knew Him through my Christian faith, was the only true faithfulness and love I had ever known. And He wasn’t the least bit intimidated by my questions or frustrations! I knew God had called me to not only believe in Him and His people again, but to champion the cause of true Christianity within the church and outside its walls (an overwhelming feat I certainly felt inadequate for!) In that moment, however, I was done searching for Him… in words reminiscent of “Amazing Grace”, I was found.

I then began attending a church that loved me into tremendous growth and healing. This eventually led to my decision to go to seminary, which was an incredible journey of learning and growth. When God spoke to my heart to go to a seminary in Los Angeles in 2004, it was on a Saturday night. The next day, I booked my ticket… Tuesday I was an official resident of California! I had never been to California, did not know anyone who lived there, and didn’t even have a way from the airport to where I was staying. I just knew I needed to give God a chance to move in my life. He couldn’t “steer a car that wasn’t moving!” I knew deep within myself that it was the beginning of an amazing journey… and it has been.”

We have seen over the last few years and especially last year God is raising up people to step into the world of American idol that can be a positive influence for others. With people this year like Jim Ranger and Tasha Layton they are impacting others in ways we haven’t even realized.  This amazing journey has led Tasha to American Idol where she is yet to see what else God has planned for her.   We look forward to what God is going to do next.

Kevin Deming, Youth Pastor, Triangle Community Church, Apex, NC

I have been talking to people in churches all over and they would love to have a place they can sell, trade, or ask for resources for their ministry.  If you have a small group bible study you did and won’t do again, then post it here and share it with others.  Maybe you can make a contact and trade for something someone else doesn’t need anymore.

Also, feel free to post any jobs you have that are church related or just if you want to get the word out you are looking for a job.  Our goal is to connect people together to improve the way we work together, live together and minister together!

Please be the first to post an ad.  We must approve all ads before they are posted but they are free!

Thanks!

Haiti Earthquake Relief Video on youtube.com

Link to Low Res

Link to High Res

Title: New Year’s Revolutions

Idea: Make a Revolution in the way you live rather than just a resolution.

People view a revolution as a major change or transformation and they
view resolution as an attempt to try and do better but not really
believing it is a lasting life change (transformation).

Definition of revolution is: a sudden, complete or marked change in something:

Definition of resolution is: 1. a resolve or determination: to make a
firm resolution to do something.
2. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of
action, method, procedure, etc.

The difference between the 2 is a revolution sees marked change and a
resolution is just the desire to see change happen. Let’s move beyond
desiring to be more like Christ and actually having that marked change
in our lives.

I think you can go on to do another 2 parts. Here is an idea:

Do a week on Repentance: How often do we associate repentance with resolutions. What I mean is in church circles we look at repentance as this “I am sorry God, I want to do better”, instead of of changing our mind on the way we think about our sin. Repentance is more like a Revolution than a resolution.

Another week can be on New Creations: How do we live our life as a new creation? Just some thoughts on changing the way we think. Hope this helps!

How many times have you stood before teenagers and ask them what they learned last week or what they remember? Probably more than you should have. Usually you get the blank look of “was I supposed to remember something…” Well, I really want to encourage you to think differently on how you teach students. If you can instead of feeding them information and hoping they remember start teaching them on how to ask the right questions. Everytime you feel tempted to ask the age ol’ youth ministry question of, “What did you learn last week?” STOP! Instead ask your students, “what questions do you have from last week?” Then ask, “What questions do you have about God or Life?” Use this as a great way to get your students to walk away from a youth meeting with more questions. If you students leave with only answers they will lose their curiosity to learn. Feed them questions more than you feed them answers and then teach them how to find the answers in the Word of God.

If you are reading this and thinking that your church leaders or pastor wouldn’t let you get away with delegating so much then you probably are already seeing the stress on your life in ministry and your family. Go to them and explain how important it is to involve people in ministry and how much of a better job you will do in the areas that you put more time in. I think after 6 months of doing this you will never want to go back and in fact the ministry you are involved with will be far better and people will notice the bigger impact.

If you don’t want to release some things including teaching sometimes, being in front all the time, then I would say your issue may be more about pride and the attention ministry brings. Well…this is another tip for another day.

One of the things we as Godly men and women need to have an attitude of is Grace. I can promise you that your husband or wife will forget to do something you want. They will not get to doing something as quick as you want. They will not do something as well as you want. They will even sometimes not feel like doing what you want them to do. The question is how will you respond to this in your life. Will you be one to quickly get angry, or frustrated that the expectation you placed on your husband/wife is not met. Or will you extend Grace to them and trust that if you lovingly ask them to do it that they will more likely do what you need and do it with a great attitude?

How about take things a step further and when someone you love doesn’t meet your expectation, that you realize that your expectation being met should not be more important than how your spouse feels. What is more important, getting your husband/wife to act and do what you want or to think and feel like a loving spouse should toward you? Why do we often show our spouse we care more about the tasks in our lives that need to get done than the relationship that we want to build together.

Take this and apply it to our relationship with God. Do we put those same expectations on God? Do we look to God and get frustrated when He doesn’t meet our expectations and do what we want? Or do we realize that God does love us and wants what is best for us. What is more important to you: 1) God giving you what you want out of life, or 2) Your relationship with God growing more intimate? Do we realize that our perception and expectations we place on God and others directly shapes the ability for us to have an intimate relationship with God and with our husband or wife.

I dare you today when your husband or wife doesn’t meet your expectation to not get angry and frustrated but instead go tell them how much you love them and then find a way to serve them!

Ephesians 5, ” 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31″For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”