A blog about life, children's ministry, and the adventures of following Jesus

I MOVED!!!

2010-02-11T22:18:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for the blog for Dustin Aagaad, I moved sites. You can now find me at http://dustinaagaard.wordpress.com/ Thanks!

Parental Half Time by Bob Barnes

2010-01-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

This is a great post from Bob Barnes via http://www.sheridanhouse.org/

If you are a parent of a school-aged child, January isn't really the beginning of your family's year; it is half-time. Your year began in August as the children started school and all their extra-curricular activities. The question is - what should you do during half-time? Coaches utilize the half-time break to instruct and encourage their players to finish strong and be successful. They evaluate and make the necessary adjustments. That's exactly how parents should view the first few weeks in January. As you reflect on this past year, are there any regrets regarding your parenting or family decisions? Ask yourself the question, "What would I have done differently with my children this first half of the year? What got away from us as a family?" As you review the first half - and you must - was there too much in your family schedule or was it just not enough of the best stuff? Chances are, it was a little of both; too busy and not making the best use of this year. This January, take full use of the half-time and finish the year strong. The most important element in a child's life is his/her personal faith development. It will directly affect each and every decision he/she makes and it will ultimately determine who they will become and how they will spend eternity. Therefore, it is imperative for you, as the parent, to put their spiritual development on the calendar each day. Some people have developed the habit of waking up early each morning to workout. Since their personal health and wellness are important to them, they make it a priority. Show your family that your #1 priority is their spiritual development. Lead your family each morning as they work out their salvation. Paul challenges us to work out our salvation God has placed in us when we come to Christ (Philippians 2:12). Helping your children work their salvation into their daily lives takes time, but it is extremely practical. Get the family disciplined to eat breakfast together at a table. While the children are eating, take a few minutes to read a passage from the Bible, and then spend the remainder of breakfast discussing what you just read. Finish breakfast with prayer. At the end of the day, be sure to follow-up with each of your children. Sit on the side of the bed with your children and pray with them before they go to sleep. Ask them what requests are on their hearts. Guide them through their prayer concerns and remind them later of answered prayer. Every great coach has a vision of victory for their players. As a parent, remember to look at the end of the game. In the years or months to come, when you are dropping your children off on a college campus, what do you want to make sure they know? I have to say, there are few parents who wish they had spent more time honing the child's soccer skills. I've never actually heard a parent say that they were disappointed that their child went off to college and walked away from soccer. No one has said that college so overwhelmed their child that he/she dropped a sport from their schedule. Over and over parents have asked me, "What did you do with your children to keep their faith in tact while they were in college?" My response was and is, "Both of my children actually grew their faith while they were away in college because it was a priority in their lives." Paul told his "children" at the Philippian church that they did what they needed to do when he was with them. Now, he was challenging them to continue to work Christ into the center of their lives when he wasn't with them. The same is true for our children when they are away at college and on their own. This is half-time. Don't go back out and play the same game during the second half. Make the appropriate adjustments. Go for the win. So, when the day comes for you to drop your child off at college, you'll be able to say, "I'm glad I did!" rather than "I wish I had!"

Answered Prayers from "Lift" Retreat

2010-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

I began the New Year in Winter Place, West Virgina speaking at a Winter Retreat with 4 different youth groups from Florida & Georgia. Before I left I asked many people to pray for God to move in a mighty way. Well, this is a picture of one of the kids that gave his life to Christ. (Not the short one, that's me. He's the taller one with the mohawk.) I wanted you to see how real God answers your prayers. This is a real student, with real struggles, who just surrendered his life to a real God. Thank you to those who prayed for me & the students on this trip and thanks for partnering with me to expand His Kingdom!

My Son Riley's first Sermon

2010-01-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Last summer my family got together with a family from Hillsong Church in Australia (one of the most influential churches in the world). Through our time together their ministry to thousands not only inspired TJ & I but it also inspired our kids, both Riley and Callie Joy. Since our time together Riley (who is 6 years old) has said often that He'd like to one day minister to as many kids as Hillsong Kids Ministry does. So for some time He's been working toward speaking in the AZ Theater,which is our environment for 1-5 graders. We'll this past weekend He did just that during our 6 pm service and I couldn't be more proud of him. To see my 6 year old son speak and teach 1-5 graders was a true joy. I pray God continues to use him especially from a young age to glorify our Savior and King Jesus Christ. Thanks Hillsong Crew for your ministry and impact to a 6 year you that's never even been out of the country. May God continue to bless you as you continue to bless others.

Thankful for Martin Luther King

2010-01-18T09:55:00.003-05:00

I just got finished watching this video with my kids and explaining to them why Martin Luther King Jr. was so important. Amazingly they couldn't comprehend why people would hate other people just because of the color of their skin. I am grateful for MLK as well as all the other black people before me that suffered and fought for what they knew to be true. Before my kids had their first ever dream, MLK's dream had become a reality. I can't think of how many good black friends I would have never known if his dream had not become a reality. Happy Martin Luther King day! May we as a nation and as a people continue to mature and root ourselves in loving one another as we are called to in the Bible.

Praying for Haiti

2010-01-13T11:52:00.010-05:00

By now we are all aware of the horrible wreckage done by the earthquakes in Haiti on Tuesday, Jan 12th. This is horrific and breaks my heart personally, so I do not mean for the following to sound insensitive or belittling to the hugeness of the tragedy.

Last summer July 13 - 18 2009 during our Adventure Week aka LegoLand we challenged are kids & families to collect shoe boxes for kids and fill them with toilet tree stuff, books, toys, etc. We ended up collecting over 400 boxes. We worked through an Orlando based ministry called New Missions, check em out @ http://www.newmissions.org/ The goal was to deliver them for Christmas. But God always has the big picture in mind. Through unforeseen circumstances a team of missionaries headed over to Haiti to deliver our shoe boxes along with 9,600 others this past weekend and yes they are still there (pray for a safe return for them). So a total of 10,000 shoe boxes just arrived just outside Port au Prince just before the earthquakes. How God is that! No one is able to get in or out for aid but God is using our measly old shoe boxes to let Haitian families know they are not alone nor forgotten. I'm not dumb or being insensitive. I realize that a shoe box is a shoe box and it's not going to fix everything in Haiti. But I couldn't help but praise God when I found out that our little notes of love, prayers, and encouragement are hitting the people of Haiti during a time they need it most. Please continue to pray for the victims and families in Haiti and find ways to help by going to New Missions site @ http://www.newmissions.org/

Ski Trip

2010-01-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

Lift Ski Trip

2010-01-06T08:23:00.000-05:00

I spent last week in West Virginia with 4 youth groups as they came together for their Winter Retreat Ski Trip. I was there as their retreat speaker and had a blast getting to know them and all God is doing in thier lives and communities. Here was the video they collected and showed for day 1 of the trip.

Bring on the New Year!

2010-01-04T11:08:00.002-05:00

Toward the end of last year I decided to take a brief leave from the blog for various reasons with the biggest reason being a lack of time. I spent some time praying and processing what this blog will look like in 2010 and what purpose it will serve. Here is what this site will strive to look like in 2010. I initially started a blog to communicate with my family through pictures, videos, and stories. However I am making a switch where the site will have very little personal family updates and will be mostly focused on 3 areas of ministry. 1) To collaborate and communicate with other Children Pastors (aka CM) from around the web. 2) To share with parents & leaders what is happening in & through FOkids. 3) To share personal insight on my own spiritual journey. I've decided to keep family updates to a minimum due to their safety. Might sound weird but I'm just trying to be careful of who is watching my family while anyone can access our website. If this sounds weird to you it's because you don't have the most adorable daughters in the world :) I look forward to moving forward with site. Happy New Year!

Taking a break

2009-12-21T10:20:00.002-05:00

As you may have noiticed I am taking a break from the blog to realign the blogs purpose and direction. Will start back up in the new year. Thanks, keep praying God continues to move in my family, my ministry, and in my own life.

Leadership 101; a new era has begun!

2009-11-09T13:24:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we embarked on a new program at FOkids that I am really excited about. It's simply called Leadership 101. The thought behind it was that I saw a trend with 5th graders. 1) I noticed that too many 5th graders were checking out of FOkids around the middle of their 5th grade year, that's a problem. 2) 5th graders have the most influence they have ever had and they have no clue what to do with it. Thus came Leadership 101: which is us simply teaching the basics of what it means to be a leader. All leadership teachings and principals come directly from the main man himself Jesus, the greatest leader to ever live. The format: we'll have 4-5 off site field trips for 5th graders only for us to have fun, connect with each other in unique settings, teach team building/leadership exercises, and end with a creative environmental leadership teaching from scripture. For example for our inaugural trip we went to a place called "Rebounderz". Rebounderz is an indoor trampoline warehouse. Their are trampolines on the floors and walls. Kids loved it. After that we did a variety of leadership exercises then I taught from Exodus 2:17, which says this, "So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds.” So right after jumping like monkeys for an hour we talked about how we need to be like Moses and jump up and rescues people. People all around us need to be rescued from loneliness, gossip, hate, etc. We taught the kids instead of being a coward, "Jump up and rescue people." Jump up and invite the lonely kid to sit with you. Jump up and defend your friend that people are gossiping about. Jump up and love someone needs to be love. At the end of the day the kids had a blast, connected with each other, and for most of them were taught leadership skills for the first time of their life. Great stuff and we couldn't have done it without the great leadership team that helped pull this off. Thanks Kevin Wendling, Stacey Simmons, and Suzi Barr. You guys ROCK!

Phenom Book!!!

2009-11-05T11:09:00.003-05:00

I'm going to go on and say it, "the best book outside the Bible that has helped me grow in my faith is this book called 'Devotional Classics' by Richard Foster. Richard is the author of another great book called 'Celebration of Discipline'. The book isn't written by Foster but it is written by some of the greatest men and women of our faith all throughout history. By Christian greats such as C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, St. Augustine, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Martin Luther, Thomas a Kempis, John Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Fancis of Assisi, and Soren Kierkegaard are just some of the authors. Richard takes a similar theme to his 'Celebration of Discipline' book by making this piece all about a variety of disciplines that helps us all draw closer to Christ and reflect Him more accurately. I must worn you though that in the introduction it does accurately say that this book and principals are not for everyone. They are by our 21st century standards foreign, difficult, and maybe even weird. However if you can hang with it this book has the power through Christ to continue to transform you more into His image.

Beach Baptism from 10/11

2009-10-22T21:12:00.000-04:00

Several times a year we head over to the beach for Beach Baptisms. A couple of Sunday's ago we did this for the last time of the year. It was great. Check out the video. Dustin. FO peeps, you Rock! Let's keep advancing His Kingdom for His glory!

2009 Beach Baptism from Fellowship Orlando on Vimeo.

Riley's Big Adventure:

2009-10-20T21:15:00.001-04:00

Ever since Riley was 2 years old he loved race cars and just wanted to be a race car driver. He never got the chance to drive anything beyond a typical go cart, until today. A friend told us how a local race track was having a special day for young kids to test out real "1/4 midget" race cars. This was a dream come true for Riley, he loved it. Enjoy and feel free to laugh out loud, Riley is ok and loving it!

Longer behind the scenes version

Shorter, to the point version.

Riley's Big Adventure from Dustin Aagaard on Vimeo.

Callie Joy's Joy Ride

2009-10-20T07:39:00.004-04:00

Callie Joy went right after Riley. Due to her inability to steer the race car correctly they improvised. They pick up the car put it on a 4 wheel dolley and had 3 teenagers push her around the track. Best part is she swears she was driving all by herself. She had no clue about the kids or about the fact that she 4 inches off the ground. Enjoy!

"The people God hates" via CNN.COM

2009-10-19T15:41:00.004-04:00

This was on the front page of CNN.COM This is frustrating in so many ways. No wonder many people view God in a bad light. No wonder so many people are spiritually confused. Ugggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Disney Institute: Day 4, Quality Service

2009-10-15T22:02:00.006-04:00

Today I spent the first half of the day playing golf for the FCA fundraiser golf tournament. FCA has played a huge role in my life and making me the Christian leader I am today. You can find out more or support them at http://centralfloridafca.org/ I mention this because it meant I missed a good portion of the Disney Institute. But I'll give you what I got and what notes I was able to gather.

Today's topic was on "Quality Service". Quality: high degree of excellence. Service: meeting needs. Disney's definition of Quality Service is to 1) "Exceed our guest expectations". 2) "Pay attention to all the details."

Hollywood Studios: today we spent an hour at Disney's Hollywood Studios to observe the following: safety, courtesy, show, efficiency, process, cast, sets. The amazing part about Disney isn't that are so good but it's that even when you examine them they still are nearly flawless. I was reminded of the HUGE value of simply slowing down and examining your own footsteps to see where you are at and where you are heading so you can determine which way you may need to turn.

Great Quote: "You don't build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them." Walt Disney

Infrastructure: The greatest thing I heard all day was regarding a grid Disney uses to evaluate their current reality and to determine what should happening next. It's difficult to explain the grid but the premise is while thinking of your organization think of these three questions. 1) What in your organization are the non-negotiables. 2) What in your organization are obvious things you should be doing, things your clients expect you to do. 3) Lastly name the things that if you did they would be considered going above and beyond. I spent some time thinking about what these questions would mean within FOkids and I realized they truly are brilliant. They help you focus on the proper things at the proper time.

Disney Institute: Day 3, People Management

2009-10-14T21:44:00.005-04:00

Today was another great day!

Create your Culture: "Don't let your culture just exist, craft it by design to what you want." Four components of a successful culture: 1) By design. 2) Well-defined. 3) Clear to all. 4) Goal-oriented. They walked us through the new hire orientation process which sets the tone in creating and crafting the culture they have. During the orientation they creatively and passionately share their heritage, traditions, standards, and values. This seems to be where they fully ingrain the new staff member into the Disney way. They don't rush this process and understand the value of building a strong foundation for each employee. This reminded me of the impact of a great new hire/volunteer process can have. Something I look forward to working on in the future. One other thought was they listed 5-8 things they specifically and physically do to discourage potential employees. They want to make it difficult to go through their application process. They want you to want to be there. They believe if they make the hiring process easy then they are more likely to hire, train, and empower more of the wrong type of employee's. They only want to spend their time, money, and energy on people who have a real future and potential in the organization.

Great Exercise: Split into two groups and were told to, "as a team name as many Disney animated characters as we could in 60 seconds". We all jumped in and had fun with it. The winning team had 43 characters and our team had 35ish. Then they asked the question how many characters would we have come up with if we did the exercise alone. Clearly everyone knew there was no way we'd name nearly as much. The point: TEAM, Together Everyone Achieves More.

Earn Your Ears: After you are hired they "make you earn your ears" which means they take their time in training the employees until they are for sure ready. The trainee wears a special badge that describes they are in training and to please be patient. Thought this same idea would be beneficial in the church culture.

Cool Thought: Disney celebrates lateral moves just as much as they do promotions. Thought this was a huge conviction for most churches and most communities. Do we celebrate when our volunteers or staff go to different departments in the church? What if they went to a different church? If we are Kingdom minded shouldn't we celebrate that as well?

Pride: One of the exercises they led us in was to come up with the top 5 things we are proud of in our own organizations. Whatever those are we must bring those up in the new hire orientation process. This will give them a sense of pride as well to be part of such a team.

No Excuses: We went backstage to the Epcot's Cast Members (their employees) only area. This place was unreal!!! There goal is to remove all excuses for their employees to be "show ready" when they go on their shift. Check out what they have available at each employee center and there are lots of them. They have shoe shinning, a hair stylist, computer lab, place to cash check, mail things, get a notary, Driver License center, break areas, food venues, and you don't have to do your own laundry. You turn your dirty clothes in and get clean ones. They even have a "no excuses vending machine". Put your money in and you can get such items as deodorant, shaving cream, mints, and panty hose. There is NO reason their employees shouldn't be ready for action. It was pretty cool to see.

Walt Quote of the Day: "You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality." Walt Disney. Walt cared for people more than anything because he knew they were the ones who would make his dreams come true.

Diseny Institute: Day 2, Leadership Excellence

2009-10-13T21:38:00.006-04:00

Today was another awesome day out at the Disney Institute. One quick note, one member of the class is from Germany and as we were talking he was amazed people can go to church here in the States for FREE! He said in Germany everyone pays taxes for church and the government pays for the churches to run. I was in shock, needless to say I invited my new German friend to our FREE church this weekend. Siegfried, if you are reading this-you are the man! Praying for God's grace and peace to keep you and guide you, blessings!

Stories & Values: Disney will tell you they are in the story making business. Everything they do they are making a story, including every "cast member" (their term for a Disney employee). They phrased it like this, "every leader is telling a story about what he or she values". Meaning don't tell me the mission statement or the business card with your vision on it. I see what you value by your actions. I see what you care about and what drives the organization by what the employees/volunteers do not what they say they do. What is it we say is important by our actions? Another great quote of theirs is, "we judge ourselves by our intentions. Others judge us by our actions." Think of Simba from the Lion King, what does he value in the movie? Whatever your response it was because you watched his story which you determined what you thought he valued. He never came out with a written statement on what he valued, he told you by a story. We are all writing stories.

Funny Trade: Hilarious story was told about Al Michaels being traded to Universal for a original Disney Rabbit. Full story @ http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb/10/business/fi-rabbit10

Fun Fact: In the original Disney movie Fantasia, Walt Disney wanted movie theater employees to spray water bottles during certain scenes and incense during other scenes to enhance the story. Talk about ahead of his time. Of course the movie theaters told him, "there is no way".

#1: The CEO of Walt Disney said, "I'd like for the Walt Disney Company to be universally recognized as the most admired company in the world." This statement set the tone for the day and for the leadership at Disney. A reoccurring theme we heard all day was how much they focused on their cast members not their customers. The whole business model is go above and beyond for your teams and your teams will do the same for the customers. Disney employees love working there. As a matter of fact the average tenure in their laundry department (which is the biggest in the world) is 23 years. That my friends is vision. When people don't want to stop doing laundry because they love it that much you have a successful leadership model.

Vision: They talked a lot about vision and the importance of clarifying your vision and communicating it often, passionately, and creativity. A cool story about Walt Disney, when he cast vision for the movie "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". They said Walt invited 40 employees out to his studio which only had one light bulb (they say to save $) bought everyone dinner and dessert then shared for three and a half hours the story of Snow White. One huge importance to notice was that Walt was willing to sacrifice (1 light bulb) so his employees were taken care of (as they ate a nice meal and dessert).

Make Time: Another theme I heard over the day was that Disney makes sure its employees have time to evaluate, reflect, take risk, do research/surveys, etc. to take their departments to the next level. Most business and ministries complain that there is no time to do all that, we need to tend to the clients/customers. Disney philosophy is you don't have time not to do it. In the church world I often see myself and others take way too much on without proper infrastructure in place to run with it. Thus I find myself with my head down focused on the day to day instead of the future and where we are going and how we are to get there. Make time to evaluate, to plan, to be creative, to celebrate victories, etc.

"The actions of one, multiplied by many, can change a culture."

Character of a leader: Was boiled down to 3 things. 1) Set the example for others to follow. (Christ didn't tell what to do, he gave us an example to follow; my interpretation.) 2) Create relationships for life, (I Thessalonians 1:18). 3) Spark excitement and enthusiasm in others.

Great exercise: Think about your role model, mentor, or someone who has had a positive influence in your life. What did they do to build you up? How did they teach you or care for you? What made them a credible leader? What values did they reflect? How did their influence your progress in life? Whatever your answers are those are same ideas, thoughts, and suggestions we should use to lead and influence those in our ministry/organizations.

If you have any thoughts or questions you'd like me to ask the instructors feel free to let me know and I'll post the answer.

Disney Institute: Day I, Creativity

2009-10-12T21:29:00.005-04:00

All this week I have the awesome honor of being able to participate in the Disney Institute for Business Success. Someone provided a scholarship for me to attend this in hopes I'd be able to learn how to use the same principals to further His Kingdom (not Mickey's, God's). So many people have already asked that I share some of the main points or thoughts. So God willing I'll be blogging every night what I learned that day. Today's topic was on "Creativity". Tuesday is "Leadership Excellence". Wednesday is "People Management". Thursday is "Quality Service". Friday is "Brand Loyalty". Hopefully I'll explain my thoughts clearly but if you have questions on anything just let me know. Now there is no way I'd be able to share everything I learn so what I'll do each day is share what I thought was particularly useful.

Collaborative Culture: Disney is know for its consistency throughout all aspects of their entertainment. They explained that if they come out with a theme like "Pirates" then every department would come together and learn from one another on how to implement that theme throughout each department. So the "food and beverage" department has freedom and is expected to share thoughts to the "merchandise" department and this happens throughout each department including the "janitorial" department. My first thought was what if each ministry in churches collaborative together to openly support each other. Then I expanded that thought with the Kingdom in mind and thought, "what if churches collaborative together for His glory and didn't worry about their turf/crowds/etc." So the question was how can we help our organizations have a better "collaborative culture". My thought was you have to have at least one department set the trend. One department has to look after and serve another to bring everyone's insecurities down. For example last week Chad Harper our Student Pastor and Jack Thomas are Creative Arts guy both took most of their week and helped me transform one of my environments. It had nothing to do with their "department/ministry" yet they served me with their ideas, hands, and time. Them leading like that totally makes me want do the same back to them or other ministries. Also Disney nominates one person on staff to give a couple hours a week to head up this idea to bring "accountability" to ensure collaborating gets done.

2. Brainstorming Exercise: They did one exercise I thought was great. They had a problem; lets say it's "How can we make people feel welcomed at church". They then took a sheet a paper and posted 9 sticky notes on it. At the top they wrote the problem, "How can we make people feel welcomed at church." The directions were to get in a circle around a table. Pass the paper around and write one way to solve that problem per sticky note. Don't think about the details just dream about potential solutions. Try not to read the others, just post your thought and pass it on. Imagine 10 people in a group with 4 problems being tossed around in a circle. In a matter of minutes we had 50 plus potential solutions and were able to hear from 10 people; very effective.

3. Brainstorming, "Yes if or Yes and": Disney made it clear one of the main ways they come up with their "magic" was by a very strategic way of brainstorming. Some rules to their brainstorming are: 1) Bring diverse people to the table. Bring different departments, ages, etc. 2) When brainstorming do not analyze ideas yet. Accept all ideas at the beginning, analyze later. Disney's rule is "Yes if... or yes and..." Meaning if someone throws out an idea you can not say you like it or don't like it you must say "yes we can do that if..." or "yes we can do that and..." For example lets say to solve our previous welcoming problem example we wanted to hire Miley Cyrus to sing in the lobby every week to welcome people, someone would then say, "yes we can do that if we kidnapped Miley or had a billion dollars to pay her."

Hope this helps and again God willing I'll be sharing some thoughts every evening.

Jeremiah: Simply Obedient

2009-10-08T23:44:00.004-04:00

Recently I've been reading and studying the prophet Jeremiah found in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 13 God is asking Jeremiah to do a series of events that don't make sense. 1) God tells Jeremiah to "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it." Jeremiah's response, "So i bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on." 2) God tells Jeremiah, "Hide the loincloth in the Euphrates River in a hole in the rocks." Jeremiah's response, "So I went to the Euphrates River and hid it as the Lord directed." 3) God tells Jeremiah, "Go back to the Euphrates River and get the loincloth you hid there." Jeremiah's response, "So I went to the Euphrates River and dug up the loincloth."

What I am so impressed with is Jeremiah's obedience. God keeps giving him these crazy instructions and Jeremiah's response each time is, "So I...(obeyed God)." Man what faith and trust as he proves his faith through his obedience. Every time we read scripture the Holy Spirit speaks to us, calling us to do crazy things for His glory. The question for us both is, what's our response. I pray each of us have the same response that Jeremiah had, a simple yet radical faith that is full of obedience no matter what the instructions are.

My wife is Hiliarious!

2009-10-05T12:02:00.007-04:00

Over the weekend my brother Derek and his wife Tiffany came to my sons soccer game on his scotter, Frank the Tank. After the game with hundreds of people pulling in and pulling out my wife decides she wants to take Frank for a little spin. She didn't bother to ask my brother one question before zooming off. And becuase of that she made my week and reminded me why I love her so much! Check out my smooth wife, very funny! Once she starts going turn the volume up a bit to get the full effect.

Pretty funny huh? It's ok to laugh no one got hurt, she laughed, and Derek got Frank running again after a while. TJ thank you for a great laugh, you ROCK! Keep em coming. Be sure to leave a comment for TJ, she'd love to hear from you regarding her latest adventure.

The best CD I've ever heard!

2009-09-30T19:39:00.004-04:00

This is Peter Lebhar, a sophomore at Florida State University. I've known Peter for the past 6 years or so. I remember meeting Peter when he was in 8th or 9th grade and I remember being able to tell immediately that there was something really special about him, it was his very mature and sincere passion to follow after Jesus Christ. Peter, myself, and another solid student named Wes Winfree decided to meet on a weekly basis before school to simply explore what it meant to follow Christ. While at Church of the Redeemer in Jax, FLA the two of them stepped up into leadership like I've never seen before. They both led programs, led musically, led their peers, led events, led their own faith so its no doubt that now Peter has his own CD. I've said its the best CD I've ever heard because I know the story behind it all, I know the man of God that Peter is, and most importantly I know that Peter is not a musician but a follower of Christ that happens to like music. To say I am proud of Peter is a huge understatement. I'm not surprised but I am proud. As a matter of fact I look forward to hearing more stories of what God will do through his life and ministry. Peter, may God continue to bless you, draw you closer to Him like never before, and use you to build His Kingdom. Thanks for blessing us with the tunes brother. You can check out Peter's stuff on iTunes soon or right now @

http://www.myspace.com/peterlebhar

Matt Chandler on Personal walk with Jesus

2009-09-28T09:02:00.002-04:00

Matt is an amazing Pastor in Texas. Check him out at http://www.thevillagechurch.net/

Rosa Loves, Brilliant!!!

2009-09-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

I absolutely love it when I hear of some old friends doing BIG things for the Kingdom of God. When my wife and I were at Flagler College (which rox) we meet some great christian people that blessed us so much. Little did I know so many of them would do such big things for the glory of God. Today I want to spotlight one of those ministries. Rosa Loves is unlike any ministries I've ever heard of. The idea is simple. They are a T-shirt ministry that once they see a need they design a shirt based around that need. They then sell the shirt for X amount of dollars until that they reach that needs financial goal. For example the ministry met a family whose home just burned down, so they designed a shirt for that particular situation and sold it to raise a certain amount to help with the rebuilding. Rosa Loves is lead by godly men and woman trying to reach this globe for His glory. Thanks Mike, Mary Joy, Chris, and Kelly for all you do to build His Kingdom. May God bless you guys as you continue to bless others. Check them out at

http://rosaloves.com/

Great Weekend

2009-09-14T14:32:00.004-04:00

This past weekend was a great weekend in so many ways. Here's my Top Five reasons why this weekend rocked (in random order).

The service times seemed to be a huge success. I met lots of new people that were excited to connect with God.
We launched Elevate Jr. for the preschool ministry. The kids & families loved it. The next months are all about Spy Chase. Thanks Elevate Jr. team for the great resource.
We launched Hillsong's BIG for our Elementary aged kids. Again families & kids loved it but the leaders seemed to love it the most as it made ministry simple for them. Thanks Hillsong Team for all your hard work, vision, and sacrifice to reach kids all around the globe.
Fellowship Orlando adult service kicked off a new series called "reThink Life". The idea & passion behind the series challenges us to reThink & reprioritize how we live day to day. How we make decisions. How spend our time. How we relate to people, etc. Are senior pastor, Rodney, did a great job. The message was powerful! I'm thankful for Rodney as well as our entire staff @ FO. I feel blessed and humbled to work with them all.
Our leadership teams rocked it. I was very impressed with the heart and mentally the FOkids leadership showed to step it up once again. Thanks teams! I've been planning, preparing, and equipping are leaders to run the ministry without me for about a year now. This weekend was officially the first weekend they took the ball and ran with it. As a matter of fact they didn't even need me. They could do it all with their eyes closed. Yesterday was a year long dream come true. Thanks leadership, well done!

Some Birthday Pics too

2009-09-11T10:32:00.006-04:00

Riley's Birthday

2009-09-10T23:40:00.004-04:00

Today my RAD son Riley turned 6. For his birthday he has been wanting to go to Van's Skate Park (you can't go until you are at least 6 years old). So we all went and had a blast. I was excited to skate with him too. Neither one of us knew what to expect but we were excited. Once we got there I got nervous that Riley may get discouraged because the ramps were so big and fast. I told Riley his goal should be by the end of the day to go down a 2 foot ramp by himself without falling. Well he did it on his second attempt, WOW! I wasn't ready for Riley to be so good. He ended up going on 15 different ramps with the tallest being an 8 foot ramp. We had so much fun and it was a great birthday for him. The video is only of the smaller ramps from the beginning, not the bigger ones he'd later take on.

Changes

2009-09-02T09:58:00.009-04:00

For the past several months the pastoral team here at Fellowship Orlando which consist of Chad Harper, Rodney Gage, and myself have been praying and working through some things that keep us up at night. The 3 issues are simple. 1) We believe we have too many unchurched people in community that are not being reach. 2) The back door of our church is way too big. Too many people are falling through the cracks due to lack of relational connectedness. 3) As a church whole our people are not experiencing spiritually community as described in the Bible. So what do we do? Well here is our solution we believe God is leading us toward.

1) As of September 13th we will be moving our Saturday night service at 6 pm to Sunday night at 6 pm. In many areas around the nation a Saturday night service works but for our community we believe it's been a barrier not a blessing for people. We are excited to reach people on a Sunday night who may not be able to go to church if it were not for that time slot.

2) We believe the solution to closing the back door and bringing more biblical community is summed up in small groups. We are moving in a new direction for our small groups. Many of our ideas were inspired by Sticky Church written by Larry Osborne . Things we are changing in our small group environments.

They will be 100% relational: We are encouraging our people to do a small group with people they are already doing life with, people they love, and would look forward to hanging out with.
They will be message based: This is such a good example of how we (myself very included) as American Christians miss out on God. Instead of stuffing our faces again with more scripture, bible stories, and messages the small groups will be based on the sermon notes we heard the previous weekend. Our goal is hear to raise families to be doers of the Word not just hearers. We believe our community doesn't need another bible study as much as it needs a group of people to wrestle with the current realities God is already trying to teach them. This gets me so excited. Can you imagine 5,10, 50, 100, or 1000 small groups meeting not to learn about Gods Word but to apply it. If any Church does this half way well they can easily be the most inspiring church on the planet.
They will meet 3 times a year for 10 weeks at a time: When looking at the calendar we see 3 natural season that are good for small group ministry. The fall, the winter, and the spring. Now obviously if the group is doing it right then their time together will carry over after their 10 weeks is up. For example if you end a fall 10 week session at the end of November then I'm sure due to the relational connection that the families would have Christmas parties together or serve the homeless together or shop together, simply live life together.

Well I hate reading long blog post and yet I just created one, so I'll be done. Bottom line on all this is that God is doing some great things in our community and we just want to roll out any barriers that might slow down the momentum of His Spirit moving.

Francis Chan's new book

2009-09-01T15:48:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh yeahhhh!!! Francis Chan's new book is out. Check out this video as Francis gives us a glimpse of the book. Can't wait to read it!

Weekend Recap

2009-08-31T21:21:00.003-04:00

This weekend in the AZ Theater (1st - 5th grade environment) we continued our mini series Back 2 School. The topic was "Avoiding Temptation" as we explored Luke 4:1-13. We gave the kids an acronym to remember what to do when facing temptation. The goal is to RUN from temptation.

Remember What Would Jesus Do!
Understand what the Bible says!
Never stop asking God for help!

Family Exercise: Find a good time this week to ask your child what tough temptations they face and how they are handling those temptations. Warning: if your child opens up this is not the time to be judgmental, but the time to lovingly help them overcome their temptation.

Need Prayer?

2009-08-24T23:34:00.006-04:00

Something I've been trying to do for a little while now is praying every Monday. Fresh off the weekend services where I talk with so many hurting kids and families I've decided to have an extended time of prayer every Monday for whoever wants it. I'll be praying for the various issues I am aware of. However if you have something you'd like me to be in prayer for you can email me @ dustin@fellowshiporlando.com All prayer request will of course be confidential and prayed for weekly. In Acts 3 Peter & John are asked by a beggar for some money. This is their response, "Look at us. I don't have any silver and gold for you. But I'll give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!" I feel like I can relate to this story. I don't have this or that but what I do have I will give you. I have a divine connection (we all do) with the ruler of the Universe. So that is what I offer. Big or small, messy or clean, whatever your burden I am here to pray for you. Blessings!

The 4 "R's" Day IV

2009-08-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

The final “R” is the glue that holds the school year together. It’s the parent/child relationship. Parents can’t just put a plan in place; they must also be the child’s greatest encourager. Don’t just have a plan … be the child’s fan. Parental statements like, “I’m proud of you for getting your reading done before dinner,” will go along way toward motivating a child to win at school. When a child knows that his parents are proud of him it helps him make the right decisions in life with confidence. After all, what is the real purpose of school? It’s preparation for college and for the real world. It’s the process a child needs to go through to develop the discipline to excel as an adult. The school year is not something you get your child through; it’s a process parents use to train their child. Proverbs 22:6 instructs parents to, “Teach your child to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” Parents shouldn’t just try to motivate their children to do their best in school; parents should coach their children to do their best. The beginning of the school year is a time to:

The 4 "R's" Day III

2009-08-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

The third “R” for a winnign school year is responsibility. Winning coaches tell the players the plan, teach the players the plan and then they hold the players responsible to follow through with the plan. Every student experiences some big challenges throughout the school year ... things such as science projects and book reports should not be last minute disasters that cause both the student and the parents to scramble to accomplish. Coaches can’t run out on the field to help a player do something he isn’t prepared to do. Parents need to anticipate the book reports, know when they’re due, put them on the calendar and then help the child work out a weekly reading schedule to get it done. Hold your child responsible to sit down for those predetermined thirty minutes, two evenings a week, to get the book read. Teaching responsibility will assist in preparing your child for college.

The 4 "R's" Day II

2009-08-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

The second “R” for a winning school year is routine. Determine a school day routine for each child. In the NFL, the players don’t vote on their daily routines and workouts. The coaches pick them and post them. Setting a routine and sticking with it saves countless parent/child arguments, when (and only when) the child believes that you are committed to it. Knowing there’s a specific bed time on school nights and a routine to follow on school mornings will eventually help the child spend his energies on accomplishments rather than arguments.

The 4 "R's" to a winning school year.

2009-08-17T12:54:00.007-04:00

This week's blog posts are from the ministry and insights from http://www.sheridanhouse.org/ and from my father in law who pointed me toward this great article, thanks.

"Parents could learn a lot from professional football coaches. Right now before the season begins, coaches aren’t just thinking about getting through it. They’re already busy working to help every player bring his “A” game to opening day. This coaching principle of preparation should also be true for parents. Opening day of the school year is upon us. This is the time parents must show up with their plan for a successful year. Coaches don’t wait for the first game to hold their first strategy meeting. Long before the games begin, coaches get together to develop a plan of action. They start by analyzing the individual players’ weaknesses and strengths. Once the plan has been established they inform the players. The players might not like the restrictions of the plan, but that doesn’t matter. The coaches don’t hold a vote to see if all the players are in favor. The purpose of a coach is not to be liked, but to help the players reach their full potential. As the school season approaches, it is the perfect time for parents to focus on the four “R’s” of a successful school year.

The first “R” for success is to be reasonable. Start by deciding to have reasonable expectations about what can be and needs to be on your family calendar this season. Your children can’t do it all … and they shouldn’t have to try. Make the family calendar your playbook. Set your top family priorities (such as family time, academics, worship, etc.) and make everything else work around it. This is the time to determine the family non-negotiable and negotiable activities. Decide which extra-curricular activities you will do and which you will say “No” to. Parents should ask themselves, “What’s the priority? What does our child need most to become a healthy, fully functioning adult in the future?” Now is the time for parents to decide to help their child become a healthy human being rather than a frazzled “human doing.”

Hiliarious!!!

2009-08-13T23:21:00.004-04:00

How does this happen? Earlier in the week TJ went to brush her teeth in the morning when she discovered a huge FROG was just chillin in our toothbrush cup holder. TJ freaked out of course not expecting to see a frog. I wasn't home so she took the frog outside and thought that would be the end of it all. Well about several hours ago Callie Joy (my 4 yr old daughter) woke up to go to the bathroom and she completely freaked out and starting crying hysterically. As I rushed in to see what was the matter I see Callie Joy pointing at the sink. Sure enough there was another frog. After calming her down she explained that as she went to "potty" the frog just jumped out at her from inside the toilet. It was so hard to comfort my daughter without cracking up. How do two frogs invade two different bathrooms in two different days? I'm 100% clueless. I guess they are coming in from the toilets, is that even possible. All I know is if I don't find a solution quick TJ is going to check in at the local resort. If anyone has a clue let us know. Seriously let me know, thanks!

Interview with Francis Chan on book Crazy Love

2009-08-13T09:28:00.000-04:00

One of the best books I've read by one the greatest pastors I respect. Good stuff!

Sharing my heart with my community

2009-08-10T11:29:00.003-04:00

Classic Vacations Part 2 from Fellowship Orlando on Vimeo.

Resently Pastor Rodney was asked to speak at Fellowship Church ( http://www.fellowshipchurch.com/index.php ) in place of Ed Young, (I'll be posting his message later this week). While he was out I was aksed to share my heart during our 3 weekend worship services. For those that asked or care here is a video of the message or you can follow this link to the audio version via our podcast. http://fellowshiporlando.com//sermons.asp Thanks for your prayers. Praying we continue to give up everything to the one who already gave up everything.

Louie Giglio on song "God of this City" formed in a brothel.

2009-08-06T21:29:00.006-04:00

Above: Louie Giglio @ http://www.268generation.com talks about how the song "God of this City" was written in a Brothel in Thailand.
Below: Listen to Chris Tomlin cover the song "God of this City".

Backyard Missions?

2009-08-05T21:32:00.005-04:00

I'm in the process of praying through some ideas for FOkids to serve our community this fall in a BIG way. I'm looking to set up opportunities for our kids and families to simply love and serve our community. I'd love to hear some of your ideas. Either ideas you've done, heard of, or ideas you thought would be cool to try. Obviously different communities have different needs but I'd still like to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

Camp Bahamas: Pray 4 ballers

2009-08-05T11:04:00.003-04:00

Early in the Summer I got to go with our High School ministry to the Bahamas for a mission trip. Over the week I was able to meet some really awesome people as well as some serious ballers. At the end of the basketball tournament I was able to present the gospel. The men in the picture above are the ones who made the decision to begin a relationship with Jesus. I ask that you pray for them. That God would bless them each with a love and passion for Him and His Word. Also some of them may read this blog so if you'd like to encourage them you can by leaving a comment on this post. Boys, I'm proud of you. I think of you often and will continue to pray for you. I pray God improves your basketball skills so I don't have to dominate you all again next summer :), just kidding you guys were killing it! Live for Him, Love each other, and don't get dunked on!

Research Results...

2009-08-03T14:53:00.006-04:00

So after much research I have concluded some pretty amazing facts regarding one Funny Man Dan.
Fact #1: FMD is in fact very Funny.
Fact #2: FMD is a male, making him a Man.
Fact #3: FMD is, after viewing his birth certificate with my own eys I have confirmed that his real name is actually "Dan." (I lied, I actually have never seen his birth certificate)

In light of confirming these 3 facts I too shall buy in and subscribe to The Thursday Blog http://thethursdayblog.com/ as well as add it to my blogroll.

FMD, if America could ask you to do 3 things it would be the following: 1) to always stay Funny, 2) To always be a Man, and 3) never go by another name other than Dan.

My Pregame Jam

2009-08-02T18:17:00.003-04:00

This has been my pregame jam before every service for the past 6 months. I can't get enough of this song, it pumps me to go and to do whatever God calls me to do. Be sure to wait for the song after about a minute and a half muscical introduction. Thanks Hillsong United for another Home Run!

Dust it off!

2009-07-31T11:24:00.004-04:00

March 30th I began this Bible study by Beth Moore. It is 90 days with David, having a heart like His. It was supposed to be a 90 day Bible study and here I am on July 31st and just finished day 31. WOW! A little behind. Somehow I misplaced it and didn't even think about it until I found it a couple days ago. Maybe it's time you find that book, bible study, or Bible dust it off and get back into it as well. I promise you wont regret it. When we stop growing we stop leading.

Life after LegoLand Series

2009-07-30T21:23:00.008-04:00

Since LegoLand finished we have been doing a series called Life after LegoLand. I am very excited about it because it is all about the foundations of the Christian faith. We are using a devotion book (see below) by LifeWay as our guide which we have encouraged everyone to buy for $7. The 4 week series covers Salvation, Baptism, Lord's Supper, and the role of the Church. I highly recommend this book. I'll post more on it another time but it's great.

My thoughts summed up in a song.

2009-07-29T20:11:00.004-04:00

This past month has been such a great month it has left me literally speechless when trying to talk about it. This video is basically the sum of everything I'd like to say. The David Crowder Band is one of my favorite worship bands and as always he leads you to the feet of Jesus. If you are unfamiliar with the David Crowder Band check them out and buy all their cd's.

2009-07-24T17:59:00.001-04:00

LEGOLAND Recap Part II

2009-07-23T21:13:00.003-04:00

Back from a mini vacation and feeling refreshed and revived, ready to rock n roll. You can check out the LEGOLAND pictures just above this post. It's so hard to put into words what took place last week. It was an event that felt more like a mission trip. The way the body of Christ worked seemed like it was straight from Acts 2. People were worshipping, serving, giving (of their time, energy, and money), sharing, caring, teaching, encouraging, and then we got to see God move into the hearts of 70 kids for the first time in their lives. That Rox!!! Here are some LegoLand fun and random facts for you:

We used about 1,000,000 legos.
We had an 8,000 sheet paper fight.
We smashed over 20 pies in peoples faces.
We watched 8 leaders eat peanut butter off of plexi glass.
We had inflatable water slide that was bigger than our 28 foot building.
We served over 660 kids.
We saw close to 230 volunteers serve throughout the week. Thank you so much volunteers for all your hard work and servanthood, you all ROCK!
We witnessed 70 first time decisions.
We think over 600 learned the verse of the week which is John 15:13 "The greatest love a person can show is to lay down his life for his friends."
We passed out thousands of "Keep On Brickin" encouragement stickers. When a child did something good/positive a leader would give them a "Keep On Brickin" sticker and send a note home to the parents telling them what their child had done.
We met 100's of new kids.
We saw over 30 new families come to our church during last Saturday night's service alone.

Now in ministry a lot of people get weird when talking about numbers (big or small) and I sort of get that but as long as each number has a face and soul I will always be about numbers because Jesus is about numbers. That's why in Luke 15 He went after the 1 lost sheep. Here are a couple true stories about some #'s. We'll call this one #248: his mom just left him 2 weeks ago for good and a friend invited him to LegoLand and one thing led to another and this 5th grader gave his life to Jesus. Story # 412 During the school year kid A makes fun of kid B for reading the bible and believing in God. Long story short kid A came to LegoLand and gave his life to Jesus and now of course believes in God. There are so many stories of God just showing up and doing miracles in the lives of these kids. I am in AWE of all God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in this community. If you have a story from last week please share by commenting on this post or emailing me @ dustin@fellowshiporlando.com We'd really like to hear what God did for your child, you as a parent, or you as a volunteer. Thank you Lord for a week we can only describe as "God showed up".

Life after LegoLand

2009-07-20T08:30:00.003-04:00

LegoLand is officially over and we had a great weekend with all three services. Next week we start a new series called, "Life after LegoLand". For the next 3 days I'll be spending time with my family. Later on in the week after all the LegoLand dust settles I will have lots of pics, videos, and stories of all God has done at LegoLand. Parents thank you for trusting us with your child. Volunteers, simply you rocked it this week, well done! Also if you have a story of something cool that took place last week just comment back from this post. Thanks

LEGOLAND: Final Day

2009-07-18T00:41:00.008-04:00

It's crazy how fast the week went by. Today was the last day of LEGOLAND and it was another great day. It's too late for me to give a full report of all that went down today so here is a small glimpse I'll call "part 1". I'll complete "part 2" tomorrow.

This is me "surprising" Pastor Chad by coming out of the big barrel throwing paper balls at him.

The Chick Fil A Cow joined us today during the morning session. He greeted kids at the door then danced with us. They hooked every kid up with a free kids meal, gotta love that.

We've had a lot of people ask about the songs we've picked out for LEGOLAND. Here is who they are:
Brother, Sister, Friend: This is an unrecorded song; meaning you can't buy it.
Happy Day: Steve Fee
Follow You: Hillsong Kids
Take it All: Hillsong Kids
There is no one like You: David Crowder Band
Again I'll go into more detail tomorrow but today we saw 70 kids give their lives to Christ for the first time. Wow, that is awesome. Praise God!!!
More to come tomorrow, goodnight/good morning.

LEGOLAND Live Online Tonight

2009-07-17T16:16:00.004-04:00

LEGOLAND will be online Live! tonight @ 6 pm. Here is the schedule:
1) Opening Rally: From 6:00-6:45. This is crazy squad war games, funny videos, worship songs, and lots of high energy stuff centered around a brief message.
2) Stations: From 6:45 - 8:15 kids rotate from 4 different stations. They go from REC to Snack time to the Imagination Station (building Lego's) to a small group lesson time.
3) Closing Rally: 8:15-9:00. This very similar to the opening rally but with a slight more focus to rally the kids around a longer and heavier message.
You can watch both rallies but not the stations. The feed is live and is not recorded.
The link to watch live is http://live.fellowshiporlando.com/
Thanks and be praying as we present the gospel. This morning we had 51 kids give their lives to Christ. That's awesome!

LEGOLAND: Day 4

2009-07-16T23:14:00.005-04:00

Today was a great day. As you can see from the picture below the Squad Wars game involved me getting pied a total of 14 times between both sessions. Of course the kids loved it and hey I'm a fan of pie (any way I can get it). The pie was made out of whip cream and it smelled so bad I had to go home and shower during the program. Kids seem to really be taking in the messages. I've had lots of conversations with kids regarding the talks. But the kid in the video takes the cake. On the way out tonight he shared with me the verse of the week so asked if he cared if I video taped him. The kid (Brandon) blew me away. The BIG IDEA of the day was "friends sacrifice for each other." I shared the purpose of why in baseball teams "sacrifice bunt". They do it to give up their at bat in hopes of allowing one of their teamates to get a score on the play. I shared that that is what Christ wants us to do. He wants us step into the batters box and take one for the team in hopes of blessing others.

4 Year Olds and the Bible? from Dustin Aagaard on Vimeo.

LEGOLAND Live

2009-07-16T16:59:00.004-04:00

Tonight @ 6 pm you will be able to watch live what takes place at LEGOLAND. The night is broken up into three sections:

1) Opening Rally: From 6:00-6:45. This is crazy squad war games, funny videos, worship songs, and lots of high energy stuff centered around a brief message.

2) Stations: From 6:45 - 8:15 kids rotate from 4 different stations. They go from REC to Snack time to the Imagination Station (building Lego's) to a small group lesson time.

3) Closing Rally: 8:15-9:00. This very similar to the opening rally but with a slight more focus to rally the kids around a longer and heavier message.

You can watch both rallies but not the stations. The feed is live and is not recorded.

The link to watch live is http://live.fellowshiporlando.com/

We'll probably be able to have a live feed tomorrow @ 9 am and tomorrow @ 6 pm. Thanks

Dustin

LEGOLAND: Day 3

2009-07-15T23:12:00.010-04:00

Day 3 of LEGOLAND was a great one. The BIG IDEA of the Day was "friends serve each other". I shared a story how I met my best friend when he brought me an apple pie shortly after moving to the neighborhood. That servant hood led to a 2o year long friendship. We learned that Jesus gave us an example how we are here not to be served but to serve others. We looked at John 13 where Jesus gave an example on how we are to serve. He brought the disciples together and washed their feet. Not caring how nasty or hard it was He did it. Once He was finished washing their feet He tells us all to follow His example of servant hood.

Here is the 30 foot water slide. It was huge. The kids loved it. However it did storm in the evening and we were unable to use it during the evening session. We will NOT be able to have a make up water day, sorry.

The game today was involved hot dogs. We chose some students to come on stage. Each team had two players. One player wore a necklace with a cup on it. While the other teammate took hot dogs and tossed them at their partner who tried to catch the hot dogs with their cups.

Teams Orange Crush and Green Machine during the worship time.

A view of the praise team leading worship.

The Green Machine during the worship songs.

The Red Rumble during the worship songs.

Allison leading us in worship. Allison leads the praise team and is doing a fabulous job. Allison, you rock!

Some kids enjoying life at the Snack Shack station.

LEGOLAND: Day 2

2009-07-14T22:59:00.007-04:00

Day 2 of LEGOLAND is in the books. We had a great day. The volunteer teams are doing an amazing job, well done gang! The kids have been great, coming in each day with lots energy. Today's BIG IDEA of the day was "friends say kind things to each other". We had a student squeeze out toothpaste and then try and put it back in the tube. We talked how you can't do that just like you can't take back the words you let come out of your mouth. In REC we played human jenga. We are looking forward to another great day tomorrow, it's WATER DAY! Be sure not to bring a towel.

Here are some kids racing their Lego's race cars.

Here is a picture of our REC leader and some kids.

Some Blue Crew kids having fun.

What the facility looks like empty.

Parker showing some Red Rumble pride.

LEGOLAND: Day 1 PM Session

2009-07-13T22:11:00.006-04:00

Well Day one is in the books. Tonight was another great session. The pm crowd and leaders were great. Today's BIG IDEA of the Day was "to treat others the way you want to be treated". We introduced the "Keep On Brickin" idea. The thought is every time you see someone building someone else up you tell them to keep on brickin and that person gets a note and a sticker. Let's all Keep On Brickin. Can't wait to see you all tomorrow. Blessings! Dustin

This is a picture of the two youngest people in the praise band. The one on the left is my daughter Callie Joy. They are doing great.

Here is Pastor Chad leading the crew.

Here are some kids and leaders hanging out racing their built Lego cars.

Some kids taking aim at the leaders during REC.

The leaders taking cover during REC.

LEGOLAND: Day 1 AM Session

2009-07-13T13:42:00.003-04:00

What a great day to kick of an exciting week. The kids came in with lots of energy and we are so thrilled to have the opportunity to serve each family in this unique way. Everyday we'll try to post some pictures, videos, and stories of what takes place each day. Today the Green Machine won the Spirit Stick. More to come, see you all tomorrow.

This is Amy. She is the Squad Leader for the Orange Crush. She is competing in the Squad War Games by trying to eat peanut butter off plexi glass. Pretty funny!

This is a picture of us during a worship session.

Here are some pictures from last night during our night of worship:

The Volunteer Group photo: 225 people

Our worship leaders: Tom Wycuff & Andrew Meonning

This is myself, the Children's Pastor, Dustin Aagaard during a time of prayer.

LEGOLAND Worship Night

2009-07-12T22:24:00.003-04:00

Wow! Tonight we had a night of worship for all the LEGOLAND volunteers (200 people showed up) and it was amazing. Tom Wycuff and Andrew Meonning led us musically and spiritually. Tom is a very gifted worship leader and we were blessed to have Him tonight as He led us to the throne of Christ. Pastor Chad & Pastor Rodney both shared a couple minutes of encouragement. Today was an awesome day. Great services, finished all the details for LEGOLAND, the Jacksonville (aka Jax) Crew arrived and are all squared away. If you don't know the Jax Crew is a group of 7 high school students and their youth pastor who came to Fellowship for the week for their mission trip. So glad they are here, they are a great group. I wish I had pics of the worship night but I will get them soon. Looking forward to meeting lots of kids tomorrow. Keep the prayers coming, Dustin

LEGOLAND

2009-07-11T21:36:00.005-04:00

Today was a lighter day in the preparation for LegoLand. Tammy & Frank finished building the ramps for the Imagination Station. The pic is Frank doing his thing. We finished all the last minute details regarding the facility, we had to clean shop since we had service tonight. We gave the kids at church tonight a sneak preview of what we'll be doing in the Imagination Station. I'm excited and can't wait, 2 more days.

LEGOLAND

2009-07-10T18:22:00.002-04:00

Today was a crazy but productive day for LEGOLAND. The cement roller showed up as did BOB's Barricades. We used both of them for set up design, which looks great. TJ picked up the costumes for the Free Amigos! James Hurst, Tammy, and Riley built 2 out of the 4 ramps. Nic finished the roll in for the week which is shown above. Lots of work done, still a lot left. Wondering how I am going to get all done in 48 hours, with 3 services to pull off in those 48 hours. Sounds like God is going to have to show up. He is weak where I am strong, praise Him for that. Today at two o clock my laptop battery died, then at 5 o clock my cell phone died. I see a pattern and I'm taking notice.

LEGOLAND ROLLIN nicriosREMIX from Dustin Aagaard on Vimeo.

LEGOLAND

2009-07-09T20:43:00.002-04:00

Today was officially the last workday before Adventure Week, Friday's are our off days. Although I'll be working most of tomorrow everyone else seems to have finished their task which is a great because we had lots to do. Today their were teams of volunteers that came in waves all day long. Because of them we were able to cruise through lots of details. Thanks again volunteer crew. Today we laid out all the REC games as well as prepared for some of our crazy Squad War games. Tammy went shopping for all kinds of supplies and we started building the LegoLand ramps for the Imagination Station. We cleaned out the AZ Theater too. Met with Nick T, who will be leading us in Worship. Lots of other details finished today. I head up to the church in the morning to get a steam roller that we'll use for displaying the "building" theme. I pray that every detail we have been doing helps kids come to know Christ as I have. Continue to pray for us, that God would be in the middle of everything I am doing all day long.

LEGOLAND

2009-07-08T23:33:00.006-04:00

Today was another big day. Chad and his team finished the stage props, which look great. The top pic is me next to one of the 6 lego guys. We also had several volunteer teams come in and knock out name tags, photo frames, and some more lego sorting. Tonight the praise team had another rehearsal and it's great seeing 20 or so kids and students worshipping. Michelle and Rona also finished the Parent Guides and they too look great. We also brought in my buddy Danny Bero from Deltona to do some window painting on the front windows. As he was painting a family began to watch curiously. So I spoke with them and invited them to join us next week. The too were excited and signed up, Praise God! Things are moving along great and I am getting more excited everyday.

Moving Forward

2009-07-08T10:47:00.002-04:00

Here is my update on LEGOLAND from yesterday. Chad & his crew finished painting the props and will be delivered today. We got all the Lego's back from being cleaned. Sarah Stephens and her family cleaned a half a million Legos to ensure that the Legos are safe. That is hardcore. Later in the night Riley (my 5 year old son) and I sorted through all those Lego's, I think we had too much fun. We also were able to create more room for our am session so if you know someone trying to get in better hurry those spots won't stay open long. Keep on Brickin, Pastor Dustin

LegoLand Fever

2009-07-07T00:18:00.003-04:00

Wow we are less than one week away from Adventure Week 2009. I soooo have LegoLand Fever, I'm pumped. If you don't care about LegoLand and are reading this I probably wouldn't come back to this site for 2 weeks because it is just going to be LegoLand all day every day for the next 2 weeks. For all the LegoLand peeps from here on out I will be posting something about LegoLand everyday this week and next week. Today's LegoLand message is what are we going to do with 217 volunteers. That's right as of right now we have 217 volunteers, that is crazy. Way to go team. I'm so encouraged by the excitement and energy everyone has to serve. Today a team of 5 (PJ, Brent, David, Jack, and Chad) primed the Lego props, they look sweet (unpainted one in picture above). Thanks volunteers for doing what you do. I love building His Kingdom with each of you.

Update

2009-07-04T22:52:00.002-04:00

Yeah, it's been a while. Here's a glimpse of what's been happening:

Been super busy gearing up for LegoLand which our version of VBS www.foadventureweek.com 8 more days.
When not working on LegoLand been hanging out with the fam due to me being gone so much in the month of June.
Riley just lost his first tooth.
TJ & I just started reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan together. I've read it but she hasn't and I'm looking forward to going over it together.
Had a great 2 days with the family yesterday and today. Kind of felt like vacation. Working for a church and not having real weekends we weren't used to a full 48 hours off. We cancelled are Saturday Night service due to the 4th of July.
Got to hang out with my close friend Justin Forbes aka Spanky and his family, it was great.
Pray for TJ & I as we lead are family day in and day out. Pray that God continues to unify TJ and I, our family, and give us a passion for Him and His Word like never before.

Bahamas update

2009-06-23T21:36:00.005-04:00

Here is an update from our mission trip to the Bahamas. It rocked. Everyday we worked on completing 6 cabins for future campers to stay in through Camp Bahamas, which is a Christian sport camp for Bahamian teenagers. By night we had worship services and myself, Cory, & Colten played basketball to develop relationships with the locals in hopes of sharing Christ. By the end of the week the relationships where built and primed for our 4 on 4 basketball tournament. Long story short I was able to share my passion for Christ and offer others to follow Him, 8 took the challenge, it was awesome (the 8 are pictured 2nd from the bottom). Earlier in the week I also had the opportunity to preach in a Haitian church through a translator. I loved it and was encouraged by their passion for God. For some reason when I preached they laughed several times when I didn't say anything funny, gotta love it. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Pastor Chad did a great job leading our team and God used are team in so many ways. Continue to pray for the Aubreys as they lead Camp Bahamas all summer long. Pictures: 1) Colten & I on are front porch. Colten became like a tall young brother to me. He loves Jesus and has a powerful testimony. Love ya Colt! 2) The winning bball team and are crew. 3) My new brothers in Christ. YEAHHH!!! 4) Group photo outside Haitan church.

Day #4: Awesome

2009-06-09T19:21:00.004-04:00

Today was another day at the worksite. It's been neat to step back and see 50 missionaries in teams just serving their hearts out in the hot sun with no complaints and "get r done" attitudes. This team has been a joy to work with and I believe God is going to use them in a huge week. We'll see soon. Friday is our outreach carnival and gospel presentation. Pray for Pastor Chad as he'll be presenting the gospel. Chad has been rockin this trip and as a close friend it's been great serving alongside him. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thanks and once again, hey TJ, love you and the kids. Hang in there. PS: for better updates on the trip head to www.chadharper.org

Mission Update

2009-06-08T21:33:00.002-04:00

At Camp Bahamas Mission Trip and it's been awesome so far. We starting the labor work today as we are finishing up building 6 cabins for future campers to sleep in. Yesterday Chad and I spoke at a Haitian church. Chad spoke in the morning service and did awesome. I spoke in the evening service. We spoke through a translator and they laughed several times when I didn't say a joke. Now I'm curious what the translator translated. The trip is good, the kids are working hard and a good group. Keep us in your prayers as we continue to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Bahamians. PS: I don't get any signal with my phone and I think our internet my orlando house is down so I haven't been able to talk with TJ and the fam so if you see them and are reading this tell them I love them and miss them. If you are reading this TJ know I love you lots and miss you and the kids so much. I wish you all were here and can't wait to see. Please give the kids a big huge for me. Love you guys lots. Cya Dustin

Camp Bahamas Mission Trip

2009-06-04T17:36:00.004-04:00

Saturday June 6th we take off to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. We are working with http://www.campbahamas.org/ which puts on Christian Camps to local Bahamians teenagers. We've gone the past several years and are looking forward to seeing God move again this year. Here are some pictures from last year: Pic #1: Me jumping a small cliff in what's call Ocean Hole. Pic #2 Me surrounded by a bunch of kids during a school day, (can you find me) Pic #3 Me and a crew working on a future dorm for campers, I'm the one in the middle w/ the cowboy hat. Pic #4 Me leading a kid to Christ after being schooled by him all week in basketball, it was awesome leading he and others to Christ through our bball tournament. We are doing a lot of the same type of things to minister. Please pray for us. If I get Internet connection I'll post update.

Kobe & Lebron: the updated commercial

2009-06-03T18:04:00.002-04:00

Check out this video, it's hilarious. Although not a real commercial, it is the most accurate one.

How to be Rich? Weekend Recap

2009-06-01T16:08:00.007-04:00

This past weekend we continued are series "How to be Rich!". We taught your child what it means to save. We learned that Savings is God’s plan for us to have funds both Now & Later. Imagine if are kids didn’t live in debt but actually lived on 80% of their income instead of 110% or 140%. Can you imagine the heartache they’d bypass. If you were with us this weekend then you got the Now & Later candy and hopefully you had a successful conversation with your child about savings. If you were not with us we gave each parent a Now & Later and a note that encouraged them to have a conversation with their child about the importance of savings. If that conversation happened then the child got the Now & Later.

Scripture for the Week: Proverbs 21:20

Homework: Instead of a weekly Homework challenge we are having a series long homework challenge. Here it is... go shopping with your child and buy 3 jars. On the 1st jar write Tithe, on the 2nd jar write Save, & the 3rd jar write Spend. Now get $10 in one dollar bills. Give them the money only if they agree to put the 1st $1 in the Tithe jar and the 2nd $1 in the Save jar and then the $8 in the Spend jar. Of course they’ll agree and learn a valuable lesson in being biblical and wise with their money.

Next week: We will be discussing the importance of Spending His Money His Way.

Callie Joy is 4

2009-05-28T16:46:00.006-04:00

Tuesday my lil princess turned 4. The first thing she did when she woke up was she looked down at her hands and look at me with a very puzzled look and then she said, "I don't think I'm 4 today, it may be tomorrow, because look, I'm not any bigger." Very cute, little does she know she is almost full grown for an Aagaard. For her birthday we got her roller skates and heading over to the Roller Rink. I hadn't been roller skating since middle school and I don't think they touched the place since then either. It looked just like it did when I left it. It was pretty funny hitting the roller rink again. I was a bad skater and within one minute of being on the rink I ran over Riley's finger, opps. TJ did great of course and was able to help teach the kids how not to hurt by daddy. Callie Joy loved it and it was another family outing we wont soon forget. I'm amazed she's 4. Callie Joy- i love you! You are the craziest and prettiest 4 year old alive.

Weekend Recap, How to be Rich!

2009-05-28T16:06:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we continued are series "How to be Rich!". We taught kids what it means to tithe. We explained that 1) everything comes from God. 2) If God were to give you $10 would you give $1 back to Him. Of course, that's easy. 3) We'll that's what it means to tithe. We learned that, according to Malachi 3, when we don't tithe we cheat God and when we do God blesses us more than we are able to handle.

Scripture: Malachi 3:8-11

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies."

Weekend Recap, How to be Rich!

2009-05-18T10:45:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we launched a new FOkids series called "How to be Rich!". Week 1 was all about drilling into the kids that we are rich, filthy rich. Not rich in love or in Jesus but rich as in cash, stuff, and the fact that we have it soooo easy in the 21st century American culture. The goal with teaching the kids that they are rich had 3 point. When we realize we are already rich these 3 things can happen: 1) We can become thankful 2) We can become content 3) We can become generous. We also introduced the kids to what it means to tithe, save, and spend His money His way. This series could change the course of a child's life forever.

Scripture: Philippians 4:11-13 "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."

Homework: To get 3 jars for your child. Make one for tithing, one for saving, and one for spending. Place them on their dresser and every time they get money divide with the first 10% going to tithe, the second 10% going to saving, and the 80% going to spend. Can you imagine if we raise are kids to live off 80% of their income. What a blessing that would be.

Next week: We will discussing what tithing is all about.

New FOkid series: How to be Rich!

2009-05-13T23:43:00.002-04:00

How to be RICH! Is a financial series for kids. Engrossed in the most consuming culture in the history of our world we believe it’s time to raise kids with a new definition of rich. As Americans every one of us are rich. We live in the richest nation during the richest time of the world but constantly all we hear is how poor we are. Money is talked about more in the Bible than anything else. As long as our kids have “stuff” we need to be talking about 1) Always being thankful 2) Giving your best 3) Saving for the future 4) Spending for His glory not ours. If you could teach kids anything about money what would you teach them? Would love your feedback.

Adventure Weekk 2009

2009-05-12T17:04:00.004-04:00

We are always building things in life and in our relationships with others. Some of us are building walls that tear relationships apart while others are building bridges that help bring relationships together. That's why we decided to make this year's Adventure Week theme LegoLand, building godly friendships. We have officially opened up registration. Be sure to grab a friend and register now as we are expecting both session to reach maximum capacity. You can register by going to the LegoLand site @ http://www.foadventureweek.com/ We can't wait to see what God has in store for your family this summer. Keep on brickin, Pastor Dustin.

Weekend Recap, Yo Momma Rox!

2009-05-11T12:07:00.002-04:00

This weekend we ended the Rockstar series. What an awesome series as we learned it's all about Him and that we are to do all we can to make Him famous. This past weekend we ended strong. In the Theater we didn't celebrate Mother's Day we celebrated "Yo Momma Rox" Day.
Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-3
Homework: The kids homework was to take their rock and give it to their mother and let them know that "they rock". Parents the best way we can teach our kids to obey and honor our parents is by letting them see and hear how we obey and honor our parents as adults. Kids learn by what is caught not taught.
Next Week: We start "How to be Rich" series. Week 1 "U R"

Mother's Day Parent/Child Dedication

2009-05-11T12:05:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend this past weekend as we had Parent/Child dedication. We dedicated our newborn Darby Grace Aagaard making it a great Mother's Day weekend. Awesome! TJ, Happy Mother's Day, you rock!

Wheelchair Jesus?

2009-05-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I was on my way to drop off my son at school and we saw this picture, Spider Man in a wheelchair, WOW! Of course Riley sees it and begins to ask questions on why Spider Man is in a wheel chair. How do I explain marketing to a 5 year old? How do I explain it's not the real Spider Man? After a long discussion with him I dropped him off and then it hit me. This is what we do with Jesus. We take our God and our superhero (Jesus), we strip Him of His super powers, place Him in a wheel chair and then we market Him telling everyone how awesome and powerful He is. And the problem is the next generation aint buying it. They are tired of hearing about Jesus but seeing Him in the wheelchair. They are tired of reading of God's power but experiencing none of it. We must as Christians live lives that take Christ out of the wheelchair and place Him on another chair, His Throne. Jesus doesn't need us marketing Him He needs us displaying Him. We need to live lives that display His love, His grace, His peace, His joy, His Holiness. We need to show others that Christ still does have the supernatural ability to change lives, circumstances, etc. In CM (Children's Ministry) I am asking myself what does this mean for FOkids? How can we help kids be in AWE of Jesus? What do you think?

National Day of Prayer

2009-05-07T06:21:00.003-04:00

Today is the national day of prayer. The beauty of Christianity is that not only are we permitted to talk to God (big, incredible, unbelievable God) but God is on the edge of His seat waiting for us to simply talk to Him. Here is a few thoughts for the day:

Parents: If you are not praying for your kids chances are no one else is.
CM Pastors: If you are not praying for you students chances are no one else is.

As a parent and as a CM Pastor I just can't deal with that. My kids and our students must be covered in prayer, it is a non-negotiable. Today I encourage you to slow down, get away for 5, 25, 250 minutes and just be with God. Develop that habit daily and you just may make a new best friend (his name is Jesus).

Parent/Child Dedication this weekend

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

May 4th 2002

2009-05-05T00:28:00.002-04:00

May 4th 2002 I got married to my longtime girlfriend TJ. We've known each other since middle school and I am amazed that she married me (SUCKER). Yesterday we celebrated our 7 year anniversary by just hanging out at the house and thinking back how far God has brought us, I am in awe. TJ is sold out for Jesus. She is an awesome friend, great mother, and fabulous wife. TJ I love you and love chasing Jesus with you. Thanx for all you do and put up with. You blow my mind. Much love, your man 4 life. DA

Weekend Recap, ROCKSTAR fans are nuts.

2009-05-04T23:48:00.004-04:00

This we talked about how ROCKSTAR fans are nuts. When talking of people in the Bible that were nuts for God Paul quickly comes to mind. Paul did whatever it took to make Him famous. We had a great weekend all around but a huge highlight was watching 4 kids get baptized this past weekend. AWESOME!!!

Bible Story: II Corinthians 6:4-10, we dissected this passage where Paul talks how they went to prison, went hungry, were beat up, called liars, lost everything, etc all for the sake of making Him famous. It is a challenge not just for adults but for kids too. To take our their faith seriously and passionately.

Homework: We talked about how nuts the Apostle Paul was about Jesus. His fanatical approach to following Jesus is a prime example on how we are to live. Discuss some of the obstacles we face in living a fanatical life for Jesus.

Next Week: Yo momma ROX!!!

TJ update

2009-05-01T14:37:00.002-04:00

Tj is doing awesome. Wednesday she had a doctors appointment and the doctors cleared her, meaning she is cleared to do whatever she wants. She is 100% in terms of what she can do but not how long she can do it. For example she may be able to cook in the kitchen but not that long due to how weak her legs are. The nerves seemed to be all healed now she is on to strengthening both legs. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND SUPPORT!!! We have been blessed. Thank you.

Great thoughts from an Atheist

2009-04-30T11:14:00.000-04:00

Weekend Recap: ROCKSTARS...have fans!

2009-04-26T23:10:00.008-04:00

This weekend in the AZ Theater we learned that ROCKSTARS have fans. We learned that Jesus is our biggest fan and that He calls us to be His fan as well.

Bible Story: The story comes from John 6:60-71. Jesus got done giving a tough "sermon" and many of those following Him began to leave Him because of it. As many of them were leaving He then turned to the 12 disciples and asked them, "Are you going to leave too?" There response was great. They spoke up and said where would we go? Who else is there worth following? Basically telling God that they were His biggest fans and they didn't want to be anywhere else than right there where they were.

Series Memory Verse (for the whole fam): "For God so loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life" John 3:16

Game: To stay within the ROCKSTAR theme we had each Band (aka small group) give there best attempt to making the Barney theme song a rock song. The kids of course went nuts and loved every minute of it.

The Homework: Strike up a conversation with your kids about something they really love (what they are fans of?). During that conversation discuss with them two things: 1) the fact that God is and always will be there biggest and best fan forever. 2)Let them know that God wants us to be His biggest fan as well. Discuss with them ways that your family can show that they are fans of God. Conclude with reminding them how much of a fan you are for them as well. Kids can never hear that enough. Let's continue to follow Him together...Rock On!

n a rut?

2009-04-24T09:46:00.010-04:00

Every Christian gets in a spiritual rut from time to time. So what can you do when you are in one. Here are 4 options that have helped me.

1) Surround yourself with godly people (not Christians). This is huge. Be sure to get around people that look, talk, think, and smell like Jesus. What I mean by (not Christians) is that I know a lot (too many) of so called strong Christians that don't reflect Christ at all. Avoid those people and cling to those that reflect Jesus.

2) Get in the Word. This is hard because when we are in ruts the last place we want to be is in the Word. But that is one of the ways He pulls us out. When we are stuck in a rut we often feel discouraged, hopeless, fearful, sinful, etc. When we read His Word it gives us hope, it takes our fears, it encourages us to keep on keepin on, and it reminds us that He is still on the Throne.

3) Mix it up. Read a book (I recommend the one to the right by Francis Chan). Listen to a sermon podcast via iTunes or a great worship playlist. (I have some recommended ones on the right as well.) Create time and space to be alone for a couple hours or a day just being with Him. Whatever it is just break the routine. As Pastor Dave Moenning taught me create space for the Holy Spirit to move.

4) Go serve someone. Buy that homeless man a Happy Meal and eat with him. Show up early to church and help set up. Write someone an encouraging note. Do something nice for your neighbor. Do whatever you got to do to take the attention off you and put it on someone else. Scripture tells us that He will elevate the humble. Lift up others and Christ will lift you up.

If you know of another option please let me know...thanx

Awesome song, worth your time to listen to

2009-04-24T07:00:00.002-04:00

New Creation from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

I've been loving this song, can't stop listening to it. The lyrics are so powerful. Great job Fellowship Church, another HOME RUN!

Are you sure what your ministry is doing is the right thing?

2009-04-22T07:00:00.003-04:00

After being in children's ministry for over a year now I've began to realize a very scary truth. I don't know if what we are doing will work. I think it will but I have to trust God that it actually will. As a Children's Pastor my job is to help kids fall in love with Jesus. When I was a Youth Pastor I was able to see God moving or not moving on a weekly basis. However as a Pastor to kids we don't really see much fruit until further down the road, maybe 3, 5, or 10 years; who knows when. This thought led me to an even greater one...as children ministry workers (of all kinds) we must be connected to God as much as possible. There is too much at risk for us not have our A game when it comes to connecting with God. With kids it is almost 100% trusting God with the direction He is calling you to go with your ministry. That is huge! Thus we must be bath all we do in prayer. We must be completely devoted to scripture. We must follow Jesus closely. We must make it a habit of listening to His voice and direction. If we don't we may be taking a whole ministry to a place Christ never intended them to be all because we were too distant from the Father to hear His voice.

Weekend Recap: ROCKSTAR II: Encore

2009-04-20T20:06:00.005-04:00

This week in the AZ Theater we talked about the Greatest Encore Performance in history, that of Jesus Christ. How He loved us so much that He'd do anything to get more of us in His future. Jesus was the one in the crowd screaming, "Encore, Encore, Encore" for us. Wow, something wrong with that picture. The homework for us parents is for us to take your child to something they love to do or a place they love to be at. A place they won't want to leave. After 5 minutes pretend your leaving and just before your child throws a temper scene open the conversation about how that is what it was like with Jesus. He had us briefly, then we sinned (which separated us from Him), which made Him want us soooo bad, so He died so we may be forgiven, rose again (Encore) so we can be together for ever. Moms, Dads, YOU ROCK!

The Flip is for real

2009-04-17T14:13:00.004-04:00

Recently we purchased a couple of these Flip Video cameras and I love them. They are so easy in every area. They are as small as an ipod. The "flip" name came from it's usb port that flips right out of the top which makes downloading easy. The software is built right into the camera as well. Sharing it to a website or via email is a cake too. I'm not tech savvy at all and I made my first video in 30 minutes, you can check them out below from the Easter blogs. Both of them came from this Flip Video. The ones we have are HD so quality is great even on the big screens. We've already used it to shot announcements to the people in a quick and fun way. The cost is $200 and it's the best investment I've made in a long time. Great buy, I recommend it if you are looking to get your church to know what is going on behind closed doors during a service. It's called the Flip Mino HD, you check it out more @ http://www.amazon.com/Flip-Video-MinoHD-Camcorder-Minutes/dp/B001HSOFI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239992907&sr=8-1

I hate brokeness

2009-04-16T16:24:00.001-04:00

Today I went to the post office which is next to Goodwill so there are often down and out people around there. The first person I met was a lady who began banging on my car as I was backing out. She told me how hungry she was and just needed a couple bucks. No worries, here are some crackers. She gives me a bad look and stuff them in her pocket. I go on my way and as I pass by the bus stop nearby there is...Rodney. Rodney was laying on the ground sideways with his motorized wheelchair all taken apart trying to fix it. Rodney was beat up by the police at the age of 17 (Rodney said it was His fault not theirs). The injury left Rodney (now 36) with stroke like symptoms. He moves extremely slow and can't function his arms or legs like normal. So I began to assist Rodney and I was blown away. Rodney was unlike any homeless person I'd ever met. He was smart and driven. He was like McGyver when it came to the wheel chair. He took it all apart, fixed it right there, and put it all back together moving at a snails pace with claw like hands. It gets better, as I get a screwdriver out of his bag I notice he's got 3 well worn Bibles. This of course leads me into a conversation about his faith. For the next hour Rodney proved to to be one of the most together Christians I've met in a long time. He was quoting scripture, asking me biblical questions, and I realized Rodney was just on fire for the Lord. Not once did crippled, broken, and homeless Rodney ask me for anything which only made me want to give Him the world. I can't imagine life on the streets. I can't imagine life as a crippled. I can't imagine life on the streets as a cripple. He says because of his disability he is constantly getting robbed, and actually has only been homeless for 3 months. He has an intern job at Disney which has potential to earn money. I hated telling him goodbye. Knowing I'd soon forget about him and he has to live in complete hardship everyday. Where is there hope for Rodney? Where is there love, peace, joy? Yeah from Christ but I'm not sure if "His grace would be enough for me" if I was in Rodney's shoes. Pray for Rodney. I have his email address and look forward to talking to him again soon. PS: if you know of any low income apartments or free ones please let me know.

Small Group Winners: Pizza Party

2009-04-15T21:13:00.004-04:00

What: A Madagascar 2 Pizza Party
When: Friday @ 6:30—8:30 pm
Where: The AZ Theater @ Fellowship Orlando
Why: Because your child’s team “won” the series.
Cost: $2 for food and drinks
Please rsvp by calling the church office @ 407-888-3101 or email us @ dustin@fellowshiporlando.com

FOkids Easter recap, funny guitar solo

2009-04-13T19:57:00.001-04:00

Aagaard's Easter 2009

2009-04-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

Good Friday...Phenomenal Sunday

2009-04-10T20:45:00.003-04:00

If today is Good Friday then I declare it's Phenomenal Sunday this Sunday. I am completely humbled and amazed that my Savior, my King, my Lord died for me. Not just took a bullet for me but died a violent and torturous death. May we never forget all that our King has done for us. Christ may we never forget what you did on that cross for all of us. Knowing we'd doubt, sin, be lukewarm, and even spit on you ourselves. Forgive us Lord. Help us to lead lives full of the passion, the courage, and the determination like you did for us that day on the cross. Thanx for your amazing grace. Amen

ROSKSTAR, new FOkids series

2009-04-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

This weekend is our Super Bowl. It is what we Christians are all about. As the Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 15:16-19 if there is no resurrection then we are to be pited more than all men. Yet there is a resurecction of Christ and of all those who believe in Him. Thus our new series for FOkids is ROCKSTAR, making Him famous! This is another great series out of the awesome church in North Carolina, Pine Ridge Church, http://www.pineridgechurch.com/ Thanks Tadd for knocking it out of the park with this series idea. The ROCKSTAR series is about teaching kids that Jesus is the ultimate ROCKSTAR and that our job is to make Him famous. We will be learning that 1) Jesus is the ultimate ROCKSTAR. 2) Jesus is still ROCKIN out. 3) ROCKSTARS have fans. 4) ROCKSTAR fans are nuts for Him.

C3 Conference Recap, better late than never.

2009-04-09T07:00:00.003-04:00

Friday 2 - C3 2009 Recap from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

Time for a Change

2009-04-08T10:35:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Dustin Aagaard.com 2.0 I thought its about to change it up a bit. Also some news on TJ. She is improving a lot. She hasn't used her walker in several days and yesterday we made family trip out to Target and finished just over 2 hours. She'd had several doctor appointments that have been encouraged by her progress but say it still is a long course for full recovery. Today she and Riley are sick so you can pray for that but otherwise things are good and she is doing her best to try and make it to an Easter service this weekend. Thanks for all your prayers, encouragement, and support, it has blessed us a lot.