Quiet

Sorry, folks... this blog hasn't seen much action lately.

Slightly more action can be found at Some People Call Me Mom or Just a Youth Guy

Peace

Chuck Norris Fact o' the Week

It's been awhile... but this is just for Chris!

Chuck Norris destroyed the Periodic Table of the Elements because he only recognizes the Element of Surprise.

Update

Thanks to those who prayed for Matt... we haven't connected as I'd like to, but the counselor at Smith Middle School and I are trying to figure out how to make that happen. Keep praying, he needs all the covering he can get.

It never ceases to amaze how God prepares us for what we encounter with students. In other words, he seems to teach us something in our own spiritual lives that comes in handy at just the right time. Anyone else experience that?

As for the future- the next few months are pretty busy for us. From two retreats, to volunteering at MORP (Backwards PROM, girls ask guys) to a Service Project in San Diego over Spring Break, plus all the Bible Study, one on ones, and family stuff... we are busy!

Janelle is finding herself... stretched. She is involved in PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel), meeting regularly with two to four young ladies (depending on the week), and starting a Girls Only small group Bible study on Thursday nights.

How can you pray?
-Spiritual Health. We want Jesus to be our First Love!
-Physical Health. Liam and Laren continue to experience occasional breathing issues.
-Ministry. Kids are hurting. They need Jesus. They are letting us into their lives in ways we never could have imagined. We want to be faithful with the opportunities we're given!

Thanks for standing in the gap for us!

Serious Prayer Request

I know I've asked for prayer before for Matt...

Please pray for some kind of access into his life.

I've been working with the Guidance Counselor from SMS, who also happens to be a believer. She is very concerned, even more so now than ever.

I'm going to try to link up with him at school tomorrow, pray that he would be open to someone speaking some love into his life.

Another of my favey pics...

My new favorite picture

New Project

Thanks to Sassy for the subtle pressure to blog.

I have a new project. E gave me her old '69 Bug. So after pulling the engine yesterday with Dad (he's still got it, I tell ya!) we discovered that it needs more than I would have hoped.
Now I spend hours scouring the interweb for cheap parts so I can get the thing running.

I'll keep you posted!

I promise.

Really.

No, Really.

Happy Christmas

So apparently I haven't put anything up in a few days...

I attribute this to:
One crazy Youth Event that took about 150 hours of planning/prep between me and Janelle.
One great Open House/Christmas Party two weeks later.
General laziness on my part.

Sorry for those of you that depend on the blogosphere for regular updates.

Life is good in Southern Arizona. Kids have two weeks off. We're spending Christmas here, just the six of us. We're headed to California for a multi-purpose trip the week after Christmas.

Also, a huge praise! We have been given a car!
-Only two "hitches"... 1)It's in CA (hence the "multi-purpose trip) 2)It needs a new motor. I've got lots of help to change it out, just need the cash for a rebuilt.
God provides for us every day!

Love to you all!
Jon for the McIvers

Hurt

I hurt for a few kids in particular.

M... His dad is deployed. Mom doesn't know how to be a mom. Sis spends as little time at the house as possible. He sleeps in class, when he makes it at all. No motivation. Hates school. He loves his dogs, his computer, and his skateboard. Gets along with dad, not so much with mom.

How do I love on a kid who seems completely inaccessible? How do I speak love into the life of a kid who thinks of me as that weird bald guy who hangs out at school?

Pray for M- for protection in his life, for motivation, for emotional and physical safety.

L... He's fighting against God. He knows in his head, but isn't ready to surrender his heart. I can't convince him that life following Jesus is the only life that's worth living. I can only show him, I guess.

Pray for L- for wise choices, an open relationship with parents and his surrender to Christ.

Update

Sorry folks-
God responded in a big way, and I didn't let you all know!

Water pump is fixed- The warranty covered it, and we were able to get the windshield wiper motor fixed under warranty, too!

Thanks so much for all your prayer and concern!

Jon

Immediate Prayer Need

Water pump went out on the Suburban.

We have a warranty, but there is a deductible, and I'm not even sure what they will pay for.

Waiting to hear back from the Service Department.

Pray that the warranty company would pay as much as possible- finances are tight here just like everywhere else!

Thanks for standing in the gap for us.

Quote o' the Month

This one's been rattling in my brain for the past few weeks:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him with their life style. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable"
Brennan Manning

These are my people...

I've found where I belong.

I've had the privilege of spending the week with guys (and gals) who do what I do. They understand the struggles, challenges, and joys of ministering to military teens. They also understand what it means to be called.

It has been a blessing and an honor to get to know these guys. I've seen their names on email lists and maps, and heard stories about their ministries. Now I know them, and look forward to seeing them again next year.

Now I'm ready to be home!

On the road again....

I will have to respectfully disagree with Willie Nelson... I totally CAN wait to get on the road again.

It really feels like the minute we get settled into a routine, life gets crazy again.

Here I sit in Denver International Airport on a two-hour layover... on my way to Colorado Springs.

I didn't want to leave this morning. I already miss my wife and the kiddos.

All that said, I'm excited. I finally get to meet some of my fellow Community Directors for MCYM. I will get to spend time with Rog, Stan, Rob, Bill... my peeps.

Editorial note- Janelle and I are both doing a project with our students called "The H2O Project" We are drinking nothing but water or the next two weeks, and donating what we would have spent on beverages to Blood:Water Mission.
What does that mean? No coffee (aka lifeblood) or soda for the next two weeks. I'm sure it's all in my mind, but I've got a headache and I'm jonesin' for a cup o Joe!

Hold on to your hats...

That's right, two posts in a week!

First order of business... Janelle, thank you. Thank you for the gentle reminder to slow down.

You see, I had a little wake up call on Monday... I think I was just dehydrated and tired, but I felt real sick. (relax, Mom... just nauseous, nothing serious) Janelle shoved water down my throat and made me rest. Then she insisted (wisely) that I take another full day off. You see, even my days off tend to get wrapped up in some form of kid time or ministry. And if we look at the past few months, life has been... well... full.

I love it- ministry pumps me up. I just needed to remind myself that I'm in this for the long haul. (marathon, not sprint)

So taking time to relax sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

Therefore, today is OFF. No (well, almost no) ministry emails, texts, etc. The email/text reminder about Crazy Shirt Night at CONNECT can wait. Nothing will explode in the next 24 hours.

Second order of business. For my Springs peeps- I'll be in Monday afternoon, and my schedule will have me decisively engaged from 8am-8pm. However, if anyone wants to cruise downtown, I'd love to meet up with you in the later evening! I'll also have some time Friday afternoon. Give me a call or email me!

McIver Prayer Requests

Hey there to the faithful dozen who keep checking just in case I actually post... here ya' go!

Praises:
-Praise God for a sizable grant that will enable more students to participate in our four most cost intensive events!!! (Thanks, CH S)
-Safe travel for Janelle's mom as she joins the family for a few weeks.
-Great ministry & safety at two events this month- High Schoolers camping trip and Middle Schoolers Paintball day

Please Pray for:
-Jon as he travels to Colorado Springs for MCYM training.
-Janelle and her mom as they hold down the fort at home.
-Planning and preparation for an outreach event on December 5th.
-Health, especially for Laren & Liam (a little wheezy)


Thanks to all of you that stand in the gap for us. We love you.

Jon for the McIvers

NYWC

I am at the National Youth Worker's Convention in Sacramento. I love this event- these are my people, you know?

However, riding up the elevator last night I had a bit of a revelation. You see, I was carrying all my "free stuff." If you know anything about Youth Workers, you know that our hearts skip a beat at the mention of a free CD, t-shirt, water bottle... whatever. I was doing a quick inventory and calculated how much all my schwag* was worth. The total? Well over $100. Yes, you heard right, my 45 minutes walking through the exhibit hall netted me over $100 worth of the good stuff. Three t-shirts, a backpack, a pair of Etnies flip flops, two CD's...

Then I started thinking about how much these vendors are going to spend on trying to woo all of my fellow YWs to take their groups missions trip, buy their "cutting edge" curriculum, buy/sell their t-shirts...

At the risk of being excommunicated by my fellow YWs, I'm going to share where my mind went next:
1-How many kids are going to die tonight for lack of proper nutrition or safe drinking water? (Some statistics say 30,000 in a 24 hour period. You read that right: THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE WILL DIE IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT!!!)
1b-How much of a difference could we make if we gave up our free stuff and focused our resources on meeting physical needs of the hurting/dying.
2-Does any of this stuff really equip me to be better able to point kids to Jesus?

Back to reality.

I still love this event.

I will still go to seminars telling me how to run crazy games.

I will still go through the exhibit hall for another round of freebies.

But maybe...

Maybe next time I will pick up a Compassion Child to sponsor.

Maybe I will encounter someone today who needs a smile or kind word.

Maybe today I'll remember that I am a child of the King, and live for what really matters: Loving HIM and pointing others to HIM.

"Weekly" Prayer Requests

Ok, folks...
I guess the least I can do is post our prayer needs here on a "regular" basis. I'll do my best!

Praises
-Jon started doing Security as a volunteer at Buena High School... it has really opened some doors with students that wouldn't normally be in his circle of influence.
-We had a great time last weekend at Canoa Ranch. (Army "Strong Bonds" Marriage Retreat) Jon was supposed to teach, but ended up observing the training. The kids enjoyed the pool!
-Praise God for an awesome group of Chaplains and support staff that we work with. It's a great team!

Requests
-Students are hurting- physically, emotionally, spiritually. Some of their intials are S, M, A.
-We have one more weekend retreat this weekend. It is great fun, but very tiring for us and the kids. Pray for rest!
-Jon is traveling to Sacramento for the National Youth Worker's Convention on October 7th. Pray for safe travel, and for Janelle as she will be home with the kids.
-Health- Kids- teeth; Jon- trying to start running; Janelle- mentally & physically drained.
-Still praying for a second car!

Thanks again for standing with us! We rely on your prayers.

Prayer Request

Hey folks-
If you're checking this blog, chances are good you pray for us on a regular basis. I'm going to try to be better at regular prayer request updates.

Praises
-Two weeks ago, I (Jon) challenged students at youth group to stop living on the fence, to choose who they were going to live for. Three students stayed after to talk, and two more contacted me the following week to talk. One of the students committed his life to Christ!
-The kids are adjusting to school, making friends, and generally healthy/happy.

Prayer Needs
-The Suburban isn't running very well since the "Squirrel Incident."
-We're working our way through the kids, getting dental work done.
-JS, the young man who decided to follow Christ... for his spiritual foundation and growth as he goes through the "Spiritual Survival Kit" with Jon.
-For Janelle, as she develops relationships both with students and adults.
-Jon is planning on running a half-marathon in December, but training isn't going well. Please pray for his ankles and heels.

Thank you all for standing in the gap on our behalf!

In Memory-9/11

Seven years ago today, many of our lives were forever changed... drastically changed by the actions of a handful of men acting under the delusion that they were earning special privilege in heaven. So much for a "religion of peace."

Today, we remember the sacrifices made by men and women who gave of themselves; most of whom would more than likely look at the ground, scuff their boot, and say "I was just doing my job." We call them Heroes.

I'd like to mention two families whose lives have been forever touched by these Heroes.

The Family of Ronald P. Bucca Sr.
You can read the whole story through the link above. I personally got to know Ron Jr. while serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group. It was an honor to serve with Ronnie. He and his family know the real meaning of sacrifice.

The Family of Timmy R. Brown Jr.
I served with Tim during OIF I. Like me, Tim was troubled by 9/11, and joined the Army to do his part. Tim was killed by an IED in August, 2003. His family's lives have been forever changed because he chose to answer the call.


The McIver Family has been forever changed by the events of September 11th, 2001. However, we look back and see God's hand through it all. I am a better husband, father, son, and Follower of the Most High because of my time in the Army. I feel like I can truly claim Romans 8:28:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."

To all those whom I have served alongside... Thank You.
To the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice... God bless you and keep you.
To our President, George W. Bush... Thank You for having the courage to face evil head on.
To those serving overseas today...

May The Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.