Two MOVE events have already happened (IN and TN1), four MOVE events are going on as I write this (CO/NV/MI1/TN2), and there are 15 more MOVE events to go.

I sit in my chair back at the MOVE headquarters (also known as Christ In Youth Inc.) and I think about how it takes an entire year to plan just a few months of the MOVE tour.  There is always a feeling of…”Is this going to work?” right before we leave.  From registration policies, all the way to lighting rigs and projectors, there is always some dust to brush off and things to get ready to go for the summer.  Yet God always, let me say that again for impact, He always comes through despite how much or how little we have prepared.

This summer is already off to an awesome start. We have been blessed with a very capable summer staff.  We have been blessed by youth ministers having patience with us during crazy registration days.  We have been blessed to partner with Active:Water, an organization that is trying to tackle the world’s water crisis.  We are simply blessed.  God continues to move behind the scenes, He continues to  grant us grace.  That’s what is awesome about our God:  that His love is unconditional, it knows no bounds.  We can read about this and be encouraged in 1 Timothy.  Paul experienced this firsthand in the early part of his life.  His story reminds us that no matter how far off base we’ve gotten with God, His love is sufficient.  No matter how big of a sinner you think you are, God’s grace can reach the worst.  No matter how well you plan a MOVE event, people will see God is way bigger and way better than any week at MOVE.

Dust is always going to accumulate.  We just need to remember that Christ can wash us clean.  He can shake the dust off, he can make us new.

I’ll be honest. I can be somewhat of a skeptic. Admittedly, I have no real reason to be. More times that not, God has come through for me. I’ve been able to witness some pretty amazing things. I’ve even seen what some might consider a miracle or two. But God continues to exceed my expectations. This summer proved to be another example on an ever-increasing list labeled “Eric’s faith is too small.”

MOVE Friday night. I saw six of them this summer. But whether it was Oregon or Tennessee didn’t matter. They all looked the same. As each evening came to a close, we’d call the students’ attention to a little green envelope they received earlier that night. The instructions were pretty simple. Inside the envelope was a task, one of fifty tasks to be exact. If you open the envelope, you have to complete the task. Be careful because the tasks are really hard. In fact, you probably shouldn’t open the envelope. Seriously, don’t open the envelope.

We didn’t want it to feel like manipulation. There was a safety hatch if they wanted to bail. It wasn’t just rhetoric either. These tasks really were tough. One of the fifty said to collect 500 coats for needy kids in your community. Another required the recipient to learn a foreign language and go to a country where it is spoken next summer. Another said to skip prom. What? Skip prom? I’d rather go to Burma!

Each week I stood on stage after making the pitch and watched as hundreds of students threw my warning to the side and stood to say that they were going to open the card. Remember that scene in the proverbial movie where the heroic captain/school teacher/vegan was going to be killed/fired/made to drink milk unless he surrendered/stopped using rap music to teach poetry/ate a hamburger but then all of the sailors/students/PETA supporters stood up in his defense? That’s what it was kind of like. There was always crazy determination in their eyes. High school students are gutsy, they really are gutsy.

I’d select a few from the standing and bring them up on stage to open their card in front of everyone. Chris opened his card in Tennessee and learned that he wouldn’t be buying any new clothes for a year. He made the commitment, in front of 1,200 people, to give that money to the children’s ministry at his church. Chris is gutsy, really gutsy.

Yet Chris isn’t alone. There were literally thousands of other students who stepped up and accepted the challenge to be a kingdom worker this summer. Right now, these stories are playing out in soup kitchens, recycling centers, and locker rooms all over the country. You should get involved too… at your own risk of course.

Go to www.weamplify.com to see the stories of these gutsy kingdom workers.

MOVE…its all in the name
I just got back from 5 amazing weeks traveling across the country for Christ In Youth’s MOVE event this summer. I helped coordinate two MOVE events at Fort Lewis College, and 3 events at Lee University.
I find myself moving a lot. I’m not talking about packing up my life and moving across country; I am talking about always being on the go. I am sure every youth minister in the country can relate: your schedule seems to go from a blank canvas to something like a piece of plywood on a paintball course. Do you know what I am talking about? The 8×10 piece of plywood has been barraged with every color in the rainbow, and there’s not an inch that hasn’t been covered. That’s my Outlook calendar for the months of June, July and August. Yet, over and over again this summer I was bluntly reminded that the Israelites moved around the desert for 40 years. They were constantly picking up their things and moving everyday, never getting comfortable, and relying upon God to provide for them. We’re talking over 1 million people moving all of their stuff from one place to the next every… single….. day. I have a hard enough time moving my laundry from the dryer to my room once every few weeks.
Funny story about moving: While at Fort Lewis College (during CO1) we had a slight moving issue. Due to some information not being updated, Pantano Christian Church had to move all of their male students to a different residence hall after they had gotten settled in and at ease. I spoke with Brian Goodall, their Youth Minister, after the incident and he was surprisingly positive. Here’s why: their yearly theme was “THRASH YOUR COMFORT ZONE.” Moving residence halls isn’t comfortable, it isn’t exciting, but it was what they had to do. What was cool about the situation was how the students didn’t complain, they didn’t get angry, they just did what was asked of them. It was actually quite impressive. It was just like the Israelites in the desert.
With the help of the book of Exodus, and Pantano Christian Church, I realized that being out of my comfort zone was okay. I realized that being busy was okay. That praying with one more student was okay. God is always calling us. To borrow the tagline from MOVE’s publicity this year, “God is leading…are you following?” Following God may get busy, but it’s abundant, and well worth it.