JonathanBowles.com

I’m like a kid on Christmas Eve.  Expectant.  Anxious.  Nervous.  Happy.  Restless.

CSM Year 2 starts tomorrow at 9am.

Everyone’s moved in.  The parents have said goodbye.  A group of strangers are introducing themselves to each other.  Nobody has any idea what exactly they signed up for.  Neither do I.

This will be my 6th class of interns to work with and to this day, I still don’t have it figured out.  You can’t figure it out.  Each year the young people are different, the atmosphere is different, and undoubtedly I’m different (hopefully for the better, THANK GOD!).  So as much as I’d love for tomorrow to be business as usual, it won’t be.  Each year, each young person is a gift and no two are alike.  It’s like Christmas, I’ve got no idea what we’re gonna “open up” tomorrow. HEAVEN HELP US!!  If you’ve ever worked with interns, you know what those first day are like.

I’ve been blessed to work with 600+ young people in an internship context and tonight, that’s who’s on my mind.  The great men and women of God that I was fortunate enough to know on that level.  I’m thinking about what they were like on the first day, at bootcamp, meeting all the new people.  I’m thinking about the CRAZY things that happen when interns live in dorms together (I love Jake Vanderwaal & Neil Goodson, the dynamic “you did WHAT?” duo).  I’m thinking about the way each one encountered God in a way they never had before.  I’m thinking of the tears, the laughter, the talks, the sit-downs, the road trips (Daniel Fernandez’s Lafayette excursion exceeds them all), the “non-relationships”, the left over green room food, and the Christmas cards.  I’m remembering the goodness of God in their lives and believing that God will do the same in the lives of our next class here in Austin.

Some interns quit, some get dismissed, some excel, some don’t think they’ll make it & end up surprised by how great they can be, and some just float through and “finish.”  I love working with interns.  I’m really proud of alot of them.  I consider some of them now my best friends.  I even married one! After she graduated of course.

All that to say, tomorrow is going to be a good day.  CSM 2010-2011, you’ve got a lot to look forward to and I’m really glad you’re here.  Merry Christmas.  I know I’m gonna get what I asked for!

JB

Ok.  There’s nothing spiritually enlightening in this post.  So, if you’re looking for some good revelation, go read your Bible.  I just want to share with you some thoughts on people that I’ve always thought were really awesome.  I think alot of people are awesome so I’ll break it down into small chunks.

Journey with me back in time, to a time where there were true heroes…

Bo Jackson:  He knew and wherever he is now, I’m pretty sure he still knows.

The Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco & Mark McGwire): This poster hung on my wall for years as a young man inspiring me in my quest for home run glory on the little league diamond.

Brian “The Boz” Bosworth: If you doubt his awesomeness, please refer back to the above picture.

Shaquille O’neal, Stanley Roberts, & Chris Jackson: Being a young kid in Baton Rouge in 1989 was pretty fun.  The Tigers were fun to watch and I caught Shaq fever.  Still haven’t found a cure.

Andre Agassi:  I wore spandex shorts & took tennis lessons one summer because of this guy.

Animalympics:  I can’t tell you how many times I watched this.  They just don’t make stuff like this anymore.

I’m inspired all over again.  Gonna get my Reebok Pumps and dunk it like Dee Brown.

JB

What just happened?  Summer’s over.  That’s what’s up.  It does NOT seem like its been almost 2 months since I updated last.  We’ve been all over the place this summer.  Hillsong Conference in Sydney, Anniversary in Melbourne, Middle School Camp in the backwoods of Texas, Motion Conference in Alabama, Fusion Conference in Houston, and Dedicated Conference in Las Vegas with many busy days of preaching, teaching, yard-working, house fixing, guest entertaining, “Christine Caine-ing”, and planning in between.  I’ve read alot of books, met tons of new friends, and had the MOST fun with my precious wife for life, Kirby.

Anyway, we’ve got 2 weeks of “calm” (if you can even call it that, Celebration/XL/Kirby are quit active ALWAYS!) before the CSM storm hits the Hill at Celebration Church.  We are so excited about this years class. I’m so very thankful for the staff & leaders at Celebration Church being so willing to give of their time and gifting to impart great things to these young people.

I’m not going to write too much here.  Way more has happened this summer than I can even say.  Its all been great.  It’s time to go FORWARD.  Moving on…

I need to set up my blog in such a way that I can update from my iPhone.  Pretty sure there’s an app for that.  I need it.  I would update so much more that way.

I’ll leave you with a few things I’ve discovered over the past 2 months:

Long hair is high maintenance, reading is a really good habit to form, Las Vegas is way hotter than Texas, all my cool friends have iPads, less is more, rugby is a great game, Middle Schoolers can be a tough crowd, all malls are the same, and again less is more…therefore, I’m done.  See you soon.

JB

What a week we just had in ATX.  XL Fest & CSM Graduation back to back.  I can honestly say that I am WORN OUT! If you’ve known me more than a minute, you know that that doesn’t happen often.  These two events really signified the culmination of Kirby and I’s first year of building a new life here in Austin.

Hundreds of kids came for to XL FEST for 3 days a WYLD moments in the presence of God.  Deep worship, strong Word, and ridiculous fun.  So proud of our youth ministry.   The HAND OF GOD is on them. They ain’t NO JOKE. They live BY FAITH! Big thanks to DJ Tiberius, Remix DJ’s, Rapture Ruckus, all the volunteers, and parents for making it such a success.  So amazed by what can in just one year.

The internship is a completely different beast.  It is the most demanding AND rewarding thing that I have ever been a part of.  I cried like a baby at graduation.  Its a perfect storm of emotions.  Everything just hits you all at once.  Everything that happened and all that is to come.  Wanting to hold on to them but rejoicing in sending them out.  Proud of how far we’ve come and wishing we could have gone farther.  When its all said and done, you just stand, knowing you did your best.  That’s all the Father requires.  I love this group of young people.  Watch them, they’ll go far.  It was a great night.  Special thanks to Pastor Joe & Lori Champion and all the Celebration Families that came to support and send these leaders out blessed.

Then we took them salsa dancing. The End.

So…. what now?

CSM RECRUITING.   I think you should pray about being an intern. READ THIS and then go HERE and sign up!

HILLSONGING.  Kirby and I will be joining the Champion family and other great Celebration staff in Sydney this next week for the Hillsong Conference.  Gonna be great.  Hopping over to Melbourne for a few days afterwards for a little first anniversary vacation with my Kirby.

SUMTERNING.  Spent the day with these jokers on a ropes course.  HA!  I’ve seen the future folks.  They’re all about 16 years old right now.  Heaven help us!! LOVE these kids.

KEEP ON GOING.  No stopping.  Gonna dive in to what’s next and ride this wave of momentum right on to the next level.

Surfs up.

JB

Somebody call Triple A because there’s about to be a BREAKDOWN!  XL FEST starts tonight @ 7pm.  This is a first for us here at XL.  A festival.  A party.  A good, ole’ fashioned Holy Ghost, slobberknockin’, Gospel THROWDOWN!  You definitely don’t want to miss it.  Totally worth the $10!

I feel such a stirring in my Spirit today looking forward to this event.  I really feel like XL kicked into another gear last night.  The worship was deeper, the preaching was stronger, more salvation, healing, all of it.  GREATER.  Last night, I spoke from John 7:37-38 where Jesus stands and shouts at the climax of the Festival of Shelters “If anyone’s thirsty, come to me and drink!”  At the height of the festival, the peak of the party, Jesus throws down the invitation, the challenge, “WHO WANTS MORE!?”.

That’s what XL FEST is all about.  More.  Its about no longer being satisfied with “goin to the party” but accepting Jesus’ invitation and receiving what He promises in verse 38, RIVERS OF LIVING WATER!  Its going deeper and BECOMING THE PARTY and taking the ZOE LIFE of God with you EVERYWHERE!  I don’t ever want to get to the point where I am satisfied, thinking I know it all, and turn away from Jesus’ invitation to greater things. 

There’s always more.  Greater things.  Glory to glory.  It’s only the wyld ones that can keep going.  Relentless pursuit.

“Do you give up? Or are you thirsty for more!?!?” –Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone)

Come to XL FEST.

JB