Blog entries from Jonathan Spangler

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: The Road 2 Ethiopia

Jonathan Spangler — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:05:19 +0100

Before about 2 years ago, I had never really given the county of Ethiopia much thought. I had heard of it, but given a map of the countries in Africa, I would have never been able to point out where Ethiopia is.

Well, things have changed in a HUGE way.

My wife Kori and I have talked about adoption ever since we began dating in 2002. We both have a passion for this ministry, and we contemplated God’s timing on the manner. Over the past year, we have feltRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Fall Retreat 2009

Jonathan Spangler — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:05:47 +0100

This afternoon our youth will be leaving for Traveler's Rest, SC to take a trip to the Fall Extreme Conference. I have been praying for this event for some time because this is the first time that we have ever gone on this particular trip before. You never know what you are going to get when you go on any youth retreat, much less one that you have never done before.

I always look forward to these events, however I also approach them with caution. I try to always keep Read More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Studying the Bible

Jonathan Spangler — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:59:11 +0100

My college roommate and I share thoughts on a blog called Same Shoes. Much of what I put on this blog can also be seen there as well. www.sameshoes.wordpress.com

In a post today, Josh brought up some interesting questions that we can ask ourselves when studying the Bible to aid in our research. Bible study can be a very complicated and sometimes even frustrating task, however if you keep the right mindset, stay motivated, and use the proper "tools" to help you will begin toRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Am I A Shining Light?

Jonathan Spangler — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:23:06 +0100

As many of you know, I spent this past weekend in Chicago visiting my step sister. We had a great time, and the city of Chicago was amazing. I loved the weather, the sites, the Cubs game, and the food. I got a chance to take a tour of the city on asegway. That was an adventure, and I highly recommend it to everyone!

As my weekend progressed, I found myself spending more and more time in deep thought, which for those of you who know me is a rarity. The LordRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: SpiritUs 2009 Recap

Jonathan Spangler — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:55:08 +0100

Hello everyone,

Well it has been a wild and crazy week! I just got home a few days ago from SpiritUs 2009. The weekend went great with a balance of missions, fellowship, and worship like I have never seen before at a camp. This was the first year that we intentionally added a missions day to the schedule. On Saturday morning, the campers raised enough money for and worked to package 20,000 meals. If you add those numbers to the meals done the first weekRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Taking it to the Streets!

Jonathan Spangler — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0100

In about two weeks, our youth will be going to SpiritUs, our annual summer beach retreat. This marks the fifth straight year that the youth have attended this camp, and each year proves that interest keeps growing. This year we have 52 participants going on the trip, which makes it the largest overnight retreat that we have done.

I am very excited about this year's camp because for the first time in the history of SpiritUs, there are two mission elements included in the schRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Reading the Bible is Boring

Jonathan Spangler — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

I hope the title got your attention. A lot of our youth have indicated that this is a major reason that many of them don't regularly read the Bible on their own. According to a recent study from the University of NC at Chapel Hill, only 23% of United Methodist teens who profess a personal relationship with Christ read their Bible at least one time each week or more.

Christianity Today wrote a great article directed toward teenagers with the goal of helping them find cRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Can He Have a Minute?

Jonathan Spangler — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

One huge praise that has occurred in the youth ministry over the past year is the growth in popularity and attendance with our prayer breakfasts. Almost every Thursday of each month, some dedicated ministry leaders and I get the privilege of hanging out with the teens in our youth ministry for breakfast before they go to school.

Each meeting is designed to give the youth opportunities to share prayer concerns and praise reports on how God is working in their life. WeRead More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: Laugh Your Head Off!

Jonathan Spangler — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:00:00 +0100

At youth group last night, I started a conversation with the high schoolers about stories / experiences from our past that still make us laugh to this day. As the conversation progressed, there was an obvious smile on every face. It was so much fun to hear them burst out in laughter before they could even get the stories out.

Proverbs 17:22 says that a cheerful heart (laughter) is a good medicine.

Has the thought ever occurred to you that God created laughter.Read More...

PIZZA STAINS AND HEART CHANGE: An Imperfect Instrument

Jonathan Spangler — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Today I went to Advance, NC for a meeting with six others from around the Western NC Conference with the common goal to plan the SpiritUs beach retreat for 2009. As I sat there and listened to conversations about name tag colors, staffing, t-shirt designs, drama scripts, and schedules; I realized the overwhelming responsibility that has been placed on the people in the room.

Year after year, teens come to SpiritUs expecting to meet God. Some come bringing baggage of sins orRead More...