Tommy Parke

Certain people in my life have had an incredible impact. One of them is Craig Gross of XXXChurch.com. He and Jason Harper have written a book to remind us of a simple, but of the utmost importance, fact that Jesus loves YOU.

Through “Jesus Loves You…”, Craig and Jason look at how Jesus loves over 10 kinds of people (I’m sure they could have written more, but they chose) who are the:

Bitter & Betrayed, Disconnected, Broken, Forgotten, Skeptic, Glutton, Crook, Outcast, Porn Star and Religious.

The book takes several stories from each author (included Gross’ wife, Jeanette) and highlights Scripture introducing the point that Jesus loves each type of person.

While reading through, the most difficult and challenging chapters for me were “The Outcast,” which brought up previous statements of my former Chancellor at Liberty University, Jerry Falwell, that stirred me to wish he never spoke them (p.134-135), to the chapter on “The Religious.” Sadly the most damage for the communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been through the hands of the ones who have received it first. While I loved Jerry Falwell and all he did for me, it seems the most divisive of words are the strongest words that people remember, particularly by the ones that need to know Jesus loves them and died for them.

If you want to start engaging yourself in a on-going process of knowing the people that Jesus loves, go check out Jesus Loves You and look into getting the book and Small Group DVD curriculum for you and your group or just follow the “Jesus Loves You Tour” featuring visits to Westboro Baptist Church, a Las Vegas buffet stop and a house give-away.

Reggie Joyner is a former Student Pastor and has previously worked for North Point Community Church as their Executive Director of Family Ministries. Now he is the founder of the reThink Group.

Think Orange is the description of Joyner’s learnings and insights into how leaders in the church and families can become Orange thinkers.

Light + heart
Yellow + Red = Orange

Joyner starts by describing the essence of God’s calling for the family. Practical examples are pointed out through modern day examples of Deuteronomy 6 through:

1. Meal time – When You Sit at Home
2. Drive Time – When You Walk Along the Road
3. Bed Time – When You Lie Down
4. Morning Time – When you Get Up

He goes on to explain the 5 Orange Essentials:

1. Integrate Strategy to create synergy
2. Refine the Message to amplify what is important
3. Reactivate the Family to build an everyday faith
4. Elevate Community to increase the odds
5. Leverage Influence to mobilize generations

Each essential is fleshed out in detail throughout the rest of the book, with a brief chapter called Orange-ality and Concentrate notes at the end to bring clearer direction from the concepts in his challenge to the church and family.

To join in on the Orange discussion, you can follow the blog at:

OrangeLeaders.com

Or attend the annual Orange Conference in Duluth, GA, led by Reggie Joyner and the church leadership guru, Andy Stanley. Stay tuned to their Twitter for more information.

If you’re in the Miami area, please come and check out one of our 15 services.

All services are identical at each campus.

DOWNTOWN
Wednesday, April 8th
Service @ 12:00 PM

Sunday, April 12th
Service @ 9:30 AM & 11:00 AM
Family Easter Activities @ 12:30 PM
Located @ 500 NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33132

HOMESTEAD
Saturday, April 11th
Family Easter Activities from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Service @ 5:30 PM
Located @ Waterstone Charter School, 855 East Waterstone Way, Homestead, FL 33034

Sunday, April 12th
Service @ 10:00 AM & 11:30 AM
Located @ Campbell Drive Middle, 900 NE 23rd Avenue, Homestead, FL 33033

PALMETTO BAY
Friday, April 10th
Service @ 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 11th
Family Easter Activities from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Service @ 6:30 PM

Sunday, April 12th
Service @ 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM & 12:30 PM
Located @ 8900 SW 168th Street, Miami, FL 33157

REDLAND
Saturday, April 5th
Family Easter Activities @ 1:00 PM
Located at South Dade Park, 16350 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031

Sunday, April 12th
Service @ 9:00 AM & 10:30 AM
Family Easter Activites @ 12:00 PM
Located @ 16390 SW 248th Street, Redland, FL 33031

WEST KENDALL
Sunday, April 12th
Service @ 8:30 AM & 10:00 AM
Located in The Regal Kendall Village Theater, 8595 SW 124th Avenue, Miami, FL 33183

Click here for more information

1. Jesus is the reason why I am alive and why I live.

2. My family is amazing. From my dad’s ability to love through providing, to my mom’s ability to love through serving and my sister’s ability to love through protecting. Also I hope to meet with my sister Heather in heaven to see the amazing woman that God created her to be.

3. I have a heart for students (middle school through college) and want to get them to understand the love of God and His love for people through missions because it explains perfectly that God is the God of every nation.

4. I am a virgin and will not kiss my wife until our wedding day. I cannot give her my first kiss ever, but she will be my last first kiss. I count it a privilege and an honor to not kiss anymore in order to protect the purity and value of my relationship to my wife.

5. Other than middle school “girlfriends,” I have never had a relationship. Though extreme, I have realized the importance of friendships and the ability to narrow down who my close friends are through my passions. My passion will lead me to my wife.

6. Favorites of movies and music are “Singing in the Rain” & Tenth Avenue North. I love dancing and SITR is such a warm-hearted movie. Mike can put into words the beauty of wrestling with the truth that Jesus’ love never fails.

7. I am an intent listener. Within the last year it has gotten extremely difficult to remember everything, but I will never stop listening.

8. I have been to 5 out of 7 continents. Australia & Antarctica are left.

9. Panda Bears are my favorite animal. 3 reasons why. I had a Panda blanket as a kid. They are adorable, and they also have the ability to destroy. Pretty sweet combination.

10. I am an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

11. My favorite sports in order are futbol (soccer in all forms from outdoor, indoor to futsol), hockey, spearfishing, basketball, football (States’ version), baseball and skiing.

12. I love dogs. My favorite kinds are the Bernese Mountain dog, Australian Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute, German Shepherd, and the Labrador.

13. Listening to music is one of my favorite things in the world to do. I enjoy different types from heavy metal to classical. I tend to listen to metal more than anything. Follow my choices on http://www.last.fm/user/tommyparke

14. Reading is very fun to me. Favorite writers are Andy Stanley, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, John MacArthur, Stephen Arterburn, Craig Gross, Charles Spurgeon, and C.S. Lewis.

15. I intend to write two books on lessons I’ve learned in life. One for my son and the other for my daughter. Hopefully more, but those are the two most important.

16. I have become a stickler for time. Every minute is given by God and if I can control stewardship of it, especially when it comes to others’ time, I will try to stay on schedule.

17. I hate sarcasm. I use it like most people because it’s become a language in itself, but the meaning of sarcasm has gotten lost and it’s an easy tool to use to mask the way you truly feel or to distance yourself from a situation/idea.

18. I’ve broken 10 bones in my life (Skull, Left tibia, right fibula, sternum, 3 ribs, 3 costovertebral joints), sprained both ankles, a concussion, and a heat stroke.

19. The three sickest times I’ve felt in my stomach through circumstances were when I came back from El Salvador from my first missions trip overseas, when I held an orphaned boy in Tanzania that was saved from a dumpster, and when I realized I could lose my daughter to sexual trafficking.

20. African culture from my Tanzanian experience is the most beautiful culture I’ve seen.

21. I’ve never had a cavity thanks to my mom making me take fluoride vitamins as kid and daily brushing.

22. I’ve had a beard since 5th grade.

23. Ben Stiller and Steve Carrell are my celebrity look-a-likes.

24. I use social networking sites as a way to stay connected anyway I can. If God has allowed me to meet you in some fashion, then the least I can do is at least try and keep that connection so I can help in anyway possible. There is a meaning for every person, place and thing in your life.

25. I’ve studied the Bible in school from kindergarten to college. I love teaching the Bible and I will continue on until I die.

The following letter is from the Broward/Miami-Dade County Director for First Priority of South Florida, Fred Revell, concerning the events that took place on November 12 at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. For more information on this event, visit:

10th grader fatally shot at Broward high school

“Dear Board Members, Founders Fellowship and friends of First Priority,

Many of us were struck by the tragedy of the shooting on a public school campus in Broward County last week as a 15 year old girl lost her life. Our hearts were saddened as we learned some of the details of a life cut short because another female student, confused with gender identification issues, believed it appropriate to gun down young Amanda Collette for not responding to her advances over the course of several days. Our team struggled with the reality, as we have in the past; that we face insurmountable odds as we equip and encourage student missionaries to pray for and strive to be the catalyst for spiritual awakening on these campuses. As the details of Amanda’s story continued to unfold over the following days our staff and Campus Coaches were guided by the Holy Spirit to renew our fervor and encourage First Priority students to do all they can to fulfill the Great Commission by being salt and light at their schools…even if it means offering the ultimate sacrifice.

So the media had its day as some of the facts concerning what happened to Amanda and why had come to light…as some other details may never be made known. But God has blessed us with some information that we wanted you and your family to be aware of, and it is because of our relationship that I am excited to pass along to you the following:

Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, where this tragedy occurred, has a First Priority club which meets each Monday after school. But the First Priority club students also gather each Wednesday morning before classes at the flag pole to pray for their school. Word had come to us just a few days ago from David Geyer our Area Advisor that our Campus Coach at Dillard High, Rev. Crunch the Student Minister at Mount Olive Baptist Church, had told him young Amanda Collette had attended, for the first time, the prayer event that very day her life was taken. Rev. Crunch went on to share that rumor had it that Amanda had even made a decision for Jesus that morning, but this had yet to be verified. Then on Thursday, November 20th, Sarah Hadjuk, who is our Area Advisor to Northwest Broward, was an invited guest speaker at our Coral Glades High club. She was sharing the story of Amanda and that we were informed of her attendance at the pole prayer the morning of her death, but that we were unsure of her spiritual condition. Sarah went on to challenge the students to take every measure to know the spiritual status of their friends and be willing to lead unsaved friends to salvation. As Sarah was speaking Matt Boone, Campus Coach for the club and Student Minister at Church by the Glades, caught Sarah’s attention and stated, “we know what happened to Amanda that morning”! He continued and shared that one of Amanda’s close friends at Dillard High attends Matt’s student ministry and how he has been helping this young girl work through the pain of losing someone so dear. Matt has had conversations with this student and her mom and he has learned from them that not only had Amanda received Jesus for salvation just hours before she entered eternity but the gospel was preached at her funeral and more than 50 persons responded to an invitation to receive Christ!

Dear friend, if ever you wonder why God has called us together to function as a team to reach this generation with the Gospel on the public school campus by uniting the church may Amanda’s story be burned into our hearts that if only for her sake the 10 years of service and sacrifice made by so many is truly worth it all. For Amanda alone we can be grateful for God’s mercies and blessings this Thanksgiving season!”

With life we have various ways we can live.

Recklessness. Conformity. 

Wherever you find yourself, living life is up to you. I see life more often than not in three ways: Past, Present, Future. With this in mind, I will explain why I live the way I do right now using several people that have greatly impacted me to this day.

Past – I seem to refer to certain people in my life more dominantly than others, but it comes from the familiarity and intimacy I have with them. For example, my dad. Tom Parke is one of the greatest people to ever walk the earth. The more I grow up I see how amazing he was as I was growing up under his direct care. He loved me in the most tangible ways and because of my present understanding how love was, I see clearly how the past has brought me to this point today. He sacrificed so much for my family that I don’t mind sacrificing certain things if it will do more good. I am not what he has been to me, but I hope to be that way in the future more and more everyday.

Present – This writing comes from a helpful hint from a great guy, Scott. He encouraged me to “Stop and Smell the Roses” occasionally from the pace of life I lead. Scott in himself is a story of how awesome God’s love can change a person. When I moved down to Miami last year, he was seeking God in a intellectual way, but now I continue to see him seek God in personal ways. Through serving in church to being genuine in his relationships with his girlfriend and friends, his present day change is a hope I have for students and people that I work with on a daily basis.

Future – Some of you may know that I had a friend that I grew up with back home recently commit suicide. We were not the greatest friends, but we knew each other from church and school. His mom was always so encouraging to me whenever I was back home from college and the fact that because her son had lost hope in life has been ripping me apart lately. I do not know the state of his heart with God at the time that he took his life, but the thing that disturbs me in my sleep and keeps me from sleeping well is that in the book of Revelation in the 20th chapter John writes that at the culmination of God’s wrath, those whose names are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be “tormented day and night forever and ever.” I am so scared for the future that awaits people who do not know the truth about Jesus and if people lose hope in life by not following Jesus then that is what will happen at the end. 

To end, for those who follow Jesus, remember His words when it comes to the way He lived His life. Think about who you hang out with a majority of the time. Jesus came to people who didn’t know Him. Do we do that? Are we reaching out to them, or at the very least training up people to do it? Jesus had a mission and it was for a certain group of people, the sick. “”Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

Tim let me post a video about a tip for student ministry workers and the best tip I could think of is knowing that you can minister alongside students.

There are a couple of events lately that have been kept on the forefront of my mind. First off, is the new teaching series we are doing at Christ Fellowship in student ministry called "Philippians: The Painful Paradox."

If you're not familiar with the letter to the Philippian church, this letter was written by the Apostle Paul while he was under house arrest awaiting trial for his personal belief and teaching of Jesus. He wrote to the church about several things, but one thing I would like to concentrate on is the decision that he made for everything he found himself to be apart of in life.

In chapter 1, verse 27, he writes that the church needs to politeuomai (Greek word for "live") in a lifestyle worthy of the gospel. Since the Bible was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, certain words lose meaning and politeuomai is one of them. The idea that politeuomai conveys is citizenship. So in this context, whatever hard circumstance we find ourselves in, our citizenship to the good news of Jesus should change how we live life.

The second event that's been on my mind are my friends Todd, JoAnn and their daughter Abigail (known around her Christ Fellowship friends and family as Abi Jo). JoAnn and Abi were riding their bicycle this past weekend and a driver ran a red light and hit them, knocking JoAnn and Abi to the ground very hard. As of right now, Abi is in the hospital recovering with a blood build-up around her brain, but things have been improving. It was a blessing that the helmet she was wearing relived a majority of the concussion. I write this part for you to know how to pray for the Breiner family right now. Prayer is always appreciated.

What they are going through reminded me of when a great mentor to me, Jason Peaks, was hit by a drunk diver in daylight and severely injured him with a broken leg, dislocated shoulder and shattered elbow that is now made of metal. I couldn't help but think of how frustrated he must have been with a situation that was out of his control, but I will never forget what he said during his healing process. He said that in his situation, he wanted the love of God to be shown through this time.

If I were him, or if we were him, wouldn't we want to get revenge? If we were Todd and JoAnn, wouldn't we want to get revenge on the man who caused pain to their daughter? I would say that would be a completely natural reaction. Although tough realize in times of pain, life has a bigger purpose than just revenge for our injustice.

Paul wrote to the Philippian church in chains and said that the chains he wore for the glory of God so that all who were around him could hear the gospel that may not have heard it before. Jason had his body damaged horribly but decided instead of inflicting misery to a woman who tried to find relief in alcohol to give her the love of God that had been put in his life. Now Todd and JoAnn have the opportunity to do the same. I ask that you pray for them and their strength to be strong for their daughter. I ask that you pray for Abi and her fears that she is feeling right now. Lastly I ask that we all seek God and find what he wants us to do. Paul tells us plainly that we in any situation,

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

There has been a expression of grief that has been constantly coming up around me and it is the tearing of clothes. It all started when one of the most influential people in my life, Jamie, messaged me about how he was listening to a sermon about the “ancient near eastern custom of tearing the robes- and how it was the ultimate display of emotion.” He listened to the seriousness of the action while on the inside he was laughing about one time in college when I tore my t-shirt in half after we missed Mel Gibson being on campus. Apparently William Wallace was pretty important to me.

Next was this past weekend concerning Easter. Dr. Blackwood was teaching the passage in Matthew 9:18-26 concerning how Jesus is Master over death. He explained the practice of how the noisy crowd could have included two types of people. Men who would tear their clothes on behalf of the grieving family and women who would cry at the top of their lungs also. 

Now I am getting ready for a mission trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. In August and September of 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed many lives. It destroyed numerous cities and multiple states. The damage can still be seen today. To understand having everything and losing everything, two people come to mind. 

On the way to Orlando for the Youth Pastors Summit last week, Jeff played a sermon by Andy Stanley called, “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” [Daniel 4:25]. King Nebuchanezzar had the most powerful kingdom during his time, but he lost it all when he claimed that He had built it himself [Daniel 4:30]. 

The second person that comes to mind is Job. Job was the greatest of all the people of the east [Job 1:3] but he lost it all. Ultimately the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before [Job 42:10] but during his trial he tore his robe and shaved his head [1:20]. 

This was his ultimate display of emotion. He lost it all, but what is inspiring to me is the fact that In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong [1:22]. It was his attitude in the truth that saved him from charging God with wrong. I hope that we can be a source of light for the people of Bay St. Louis and help show them that they can say like Job,

The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” [1:21].