I have had a couple occasions to be in Michigan this past month to preach to teenagers. Michiganders are a unique breed. For starters, they inevitably explain where they live geographically in the state by holding up a hand. At first you think they are giving you some kind of a Native American greeting, but then they use the index finger of the opposite hand to point out the spot on the uplifted hand that represents where they live in Michigan, even if you don’t want to know!

Anyway, I had the privilege to preach at a youth retreat at Camp CoBeAc for my good friend Jeff Kahl. The Lord has used Jeff to do a remarkable job face-lifting the camp both aesthetically and numerically. The spiritual atmosphere is amazing as well! Always the innovator, Jeff recently launched the Walk Right Bible Institute, an intense Biblical studies program for high school graduates.

Just this past week I was again in Michigan, this time on the campus of Grace Baptist Church and College for their annual and marvelously attended (1,100 teens) teen spectacular. The Lord met with us in a wonderful way with dozens of teenagers trusting Christ as Savior and hundreds making tremendous decisions for Him. Because of an uncooperative flight schedule, my final message was all of 15 minutes! (Don’t get your hopes up, church members! I can assure you that was an anomaly.)

Even now I am returning from Baltimore, Maryland, where I finished preaching several nights for my dear friend, Scott Tewell. Scott is the pastor of Rosedale Baptist Church, a thriving church north of Baltimore. Not only has the church experienced astounding numerical growth under Pastor Tewell’s leadership (1,400 average), but also Rosedale possesses one of the greatest spirits of a church that I have encountered. Known for his passion for the Bible and expository preaching, Pastor Tewell has lovingly led the good people of Rosedale for the past 13 years. And the future looks glowingly bright with yet another building expansion in the works!

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My favorite aspect of travel is the opportunity to spend time with family. My son Caleb accompanied me to D.C. for a couple of days at the end of this last week. We spent time with Pastor Mike Creed and the good people of Independent Baptist Church in Clinton, MD (www.ibcministries.org) in which I preached a message for their stewardship banquet (great food, by the way) and spoke three times for an area wide youth conference they hosted.

The Lord blessed in a special way as a couple hundred teens made some super decisions. Jim Stroud does a marvelous job organizing the event, and I know the teens enjoyed the games, activities, preaching, and talent time. The talent time was a portion of the conference in which the teens sang, played instruments, and preached.  What a great job they did! And what an encouragement it was to see so many young people with such passion for the Lord!

The conference was held in conjunction with Young Ambassadors for Christ (www.youngambassadorsforchrist.org) led by my good friend, Charlie Clark . Bro. Charlie is a gifted preacher and organizer and is doing a fantastic job mobilizing teens in the Northeast to serve the Lord.

What a special privilege it was as well to spend some time with Cary Schmidt of Lancaster Baptist Church of Lancaster, CA (www.lancasterbaptist.org)– and with Pastor John Wilkerson of the First Baptist Church of Long Beach, CA (www.fbclb.org). Both of these men “just happened” to be in town with their respective high school senior classes for senior class trips to D.C. Each group attended  a preaching service, and it was a joy to see these great men of God.

Caleb and I had a little extra time on Thursday afternoon in which we toured Arlington National Cemetery. Being the history buffs that we Skellys are, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting Kennedys’ gravesides (John F. and Robert), touring Lee’s mansion, witnessing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and walking the grounds remembering the sacrifices of so many heroes. (Thanks, Bro. Creed, for being a tremendous host and tour guide!)

In fact, other than the atrocious beltway traffic, we had a most memorable couple of days. Oh, remind Caleb to tell you how I flooded the hotel room…

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What a joy it was for me to spend some time with our senior class in NYC over the past couple of days! We have a great bunch in the senior class this year, and I’m so privileged to have a part in their lives.  Actually the “New York tradition” began last year when I was invited by my good friend, Pastor Ray Cazis, to preach at the International Baptist Church and Bible college (www.ibc-ny.org). I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and invited the senior class to join me.

In a whirlwind of activity that began late Wednesday morning when we departed New Kensington for NYC and ended with our arrival back in New Kensington in the middle of the night on Friday (Saturday morning), we managed to squeeze in 5 sermons and a whole lot of sightseeing.

I had the privilege to preach to the incredibly exciting Brooklyn congregation at the International Baptist Church. Firsthand I witnessed the wonderful spirit of this truly international church. The folks were more than friendly, obviously possessing a genuine heart for God and the ministry. We even learned to eat pizza “New York style” after the evening service.

On Thursday morning, after I preached the chapel service at the International Baptist College, our group traveled to downtown Manhattan under the able tour guidance of Pastor Cazis. We ascended the Empire State Building, whisked through Times Square, browsed Rockefeller Center, inspected Ground Zero, and shared the road with a billion taxi cabs! One of the highlights included our teens professionally bargaining their way to some impressive deals in Chinatown. At the end of the day the “head check” revealed we hadn’t lost anybody–although we had lost a considerable amount of energy!     

Following a much needed night of rest, I spoke one last time to the college students after which we loaded the van to travel back to New Kensington by way of Mount Union, PA.  There I preached two messages for a youth conference Friday night. Other than arriving late due to (you probably guessed it) New York traffic, the youth rally proved to be a smashing success. Pastor Jeff Winstead and Brother Ken Patterson lead a first-class youth conference every year–and I mean first-class. Our group agreed that the decorations, music, skits, and virtually every detail of the conference was top notch. We listened to the Patterson girls’ new music CD on the trip home.  (Thanks, girls!)  

The best part about any trip though is arriving home! We laid the heads on the pillows for 3 or 4 hours and then attended men’s prayer breakfast this morning followed by an exciting time of soulwinning and visitation. What a life! And tomorrow is the Lord’s Day… Doesn’t get much better than that. Blessings to all of you!

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The youth conference ended with a flourish! The final service proved to be the proverbial capstone on an excellent couple of days. After Cary Schmidt and I had the opportunity to conduct a question and answer time with a couple hundred youth workers, I attended the final main service with Nathaniel and Joshua.

Pastor Paul Chappell preached a powerful message on the familiar Bible story of David and Goliath. His focus centered on the “in your face” defiance of the world and what a Christian teenager’s response to it should be. He spoke of the “giants” of secularism and run-amok entertainment. Ending his message with a specific appeal to young people to join the ranks of full-time servants of God in the ministry, hundreds of young people  flooded the aisles in response!

Because our flight back home did not leave until this morning (I’m currently on a layover in Phoenix), we had the chance to attend the Lakers/Rockets game last night. Regrettably, the Lakers won in a hard fought game with some incredible plays. I’m not a huge fan of the NBA, but watching that level of play in person is certainly a treat. It brought me back to my college days when I worked as an usher for the Chicago Bulls. My good friend Kenny Baldwin harassed me with pro-Laker text messages throughout the game, and for that reason I harbored an inner desire for them to lose. Alas, they did not. Congratulations Kenny! (It seems that some of your prayers do indeed get answered.)

I hope all is well with each of you.  Pray for our services at Harvest tomorrow!

admin Out and About California, Family, Preaching, Youth Conference

It is my privilege for these three days to be a part of the West Coast Baptist College Youth Conference (www.wcbc.edu)  where more than a couple thousand teenagers have gathered from all across the country. The folks here at Lancaster Baptist Church are the consummate hosts! I’m so glad that my son Joshua is able to be here with me for this trip. (Of course, my oldest son Nathaniel is here already as a freshman.)

The messages have been super.  John Goetch wrote and directed a drama last night on the topic of decisions.  Side by side, he dramatized the stories of Ruth and the Prodigal Son, emphasizing the difference decisions make in our lives at critical moments. Then, using the Biblical account of Lot, he preached a powerful message about the importance of making right decisions.

Today Kenny Baldwin and I had the opportunity to preach the morning sessions to the teens. I preached a message entitled “Valuable Vessels” in which I stressed the indispensable components of making pottery. In order for clay to be effectively fashioned it must be (1) fashioned by the Master; (2) placed in the middle of the wheel; (3) formed while the wheel is in motion; and (4)  lubricated constantly to assure that it is moldable.  My text was Jeremiah 18 and the teens seemed to respond very well.

Kenny preached a classic from Daniel 1 entitled “10 Times Better.” Although I was conducting a youth worker’s session at the same time, Joshua assured me that the message was right on target and received well by the teenagers, with approximately 10 receiving Christ as Savior!

Please pray that the Lord would bless the evening service tonight (Thursday) in which I will be preaching and then the final service tomorrow in which Paul Chappell will be preaching. Teens–along with the rest of us–need powerful Bible messages. The Bible has the power to change lives, and we’re praying that God will use His Word to do just that in the final services of this conference.

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