iRock Ministries

intentionally Reaching Our Community Kids

Hear from the students

I have had the most amazing group of student team members, over summers past, each bringing special gifts and talents enabling us to Intentionally Reach Our Community Kids with the message of Jesus’s love and forgiveness. It’s because of these team members that we continue to offer opportunities to students entering or currently attending college to be part of God’s plan with iRock Ministries. If you’d like to hear more about their experiences choose any of their pictures and hear what they personally had to say.

Jake
Garth
Tanner
Joe
Caleb
Keller

Not What I Expected

The summer didn’t go how I expected it to go. But that’s alright. It went how God wanted it to go. I expected something else, and initially maybe even wanted something else (and I think Terry felt the same way). But that’s fine. It went the way God wanted it to go.

My goal before the summer was to grow in my relationship with God. Mission accomplished. It didn’t happen how I expected it to happen, but God rarely works in ways that you expect. I wanted more clear direction of God’s will in my life, but I wanted God’s will revealed in specific areas in my life, it didn’t happen. But God’s will has become more clear to me in other aspects of my life that I didn’t expect (go figure).

My relationship with God and my devotion life have grown stronger, and I thank him for those things. I can’t promise that God will work in the ways that you ask him, but I can promise that He will work in you, and through you during the summer. I can also promise you this, as long as you are willing to let him work in your life, and as long as you and Terry are asking him for guidance He will work through both of you throughout the entire summer. Just remember, being a student team member is about serving God, not yourself.

The summer allowed time for me to really think and focus on the things of the Lord. Here is just one of my thoughts I decided to put down in print. read more

Who is God?

Who is God? What type of a being is he? We are told that he is a loving God, and that he is just, but what does that really mean? We are constantly telling kids (and people in general) that they need to ask God for forgiveness, and that they should love Jesus, but do they even understand who he is? I often wondered why God created us and what worth we really had. I always thought that God needed us to worship him, but I never understood why. Why would an all powerful god who has always existed and will always exist, need us? And why does he need us to worship him? I never understood why we existed and I never felt truly important (after all there are 7 billion people on earth, if we are all “special,” then none of us are truly special at all, at least that’s how I viewed it) until I understood who God is. God is a being dependent on relationship. He is three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He has always been in relationship, and he thrives on it. But this is where it hit me. God never needed any of us. He’s not some (narcissist) sociopath who needs us to worship him to feel important. God was perfectly awesome without us, and never needed to create us. But he wanted to. Love is his being, it’s who he is, and because of this he wanted to create us so that he could share his love with others. His love, his relationship is the most amazing thing ever to exist, and because of who he is he wanted someone else to experience it. Which is why he made us, he didn’t create us to serve him, or to suffer through life. God created us so that we would get a chance to experience the most awesome thing to ever be, his love, his relationship. It’s important to teach people to love God and to seek him out, but until they realize in their own hearts who God truly is, they won’t want to.

Written by Joe Ernst

Prayer Connection 2017

WOP_2017_Email_HeaderTake some connector links, prayer cards to add to those links, emphasize prayer in all classrooms, with all ages and you are definitely going to see God move. I had an opportunity to help coordinate the 2017 Prayer Initiative for a church in which they wanted all ages, at the same time focused on prayer. What an amazing time as I watched God touch the hearts and homes of all ages.

My involvement allowed me to develop the lesson content for the kids and their leaders while the adults and youth utilized the book “Praying with Confidence” by Jeff Leake. The kids were engaged in their services and the adults commented how the book was a valuable resource to help them develop their prayer time. Holy Spirit was truly making His way through the lives of people of all ages.

prayerI know that prayer is the gateway to all things good since it is the open door to our relationship with God. I prayed that the people would have a renewed desire to deepen their relationship with their Creator and Lord and each week I heard testimony of that very thing happening.

Last week I received a testimony from one of the leaders that a parent shared with her that her son invited Jesus into his life and truly understood what that meant. She just wanted to say ‘thank you’ to the teachers.

God prompted one of the young adults to openly share about sin he struggled with in the past and how God has delivered him from that. He believes his testimony will help encourage others in that trap to seek God for forgiveness and restoration.

The church has seen a renewed energy and I’m confident that God will do amazing things through this fellowship of believers.

Night of Hope

night-of-hopeOn the eve of November 4th Pastor Terry, and myself (Garth) had a unique opportunity to partner with a church for their “Night of Hope”. The goal was to impart HOPE into the folks that attended and the community at large. Looking at our nation’s present state, and the hate that seems to be swarming around; this night had God ordained timing.

It was a night that was filled with hope. The night started with worship. Which in turn made me think of 2 Chronicles 20. Here in scripture Jehoshaphat has worshipers go before the army as they are marching into battle. If you have grown up in the church or attended it for very long, I am sure that you have heard this comparison before. That the worship was done to lift the Lord high. That then, when the Lord of Host is lifted high He brings His people to victory. Those in attendance that night worshiped as though they were going to war with principalities of the enemy. We were settling for hope and nothing less.

night-of-hope9The night moved from worship to short messages starting with the Pastor sharing that the hope we desire can only be found in Christ. That if anyone wanted to know what genuine hope was they should meet the Lord that night. Pastor Terry was in her element of using an object lesson. She drove home the thought that hope sustains Gods people; without hope man cannot live long. I had the chance to express that the “Night of Hope” was not just a social gathering, but a night for hope to take root. Just before being led in a rendition of Amazing Grace everyone was invited to lift up a pray during a candle light service. Regardless if that be a situation, a person, or just a heartache of life to the Father, it was a great moment to reflect on the goodness of God and place it at His feet.

The night was a full of laughter and I’m sure the Lord chuckled as much as we did. It was also a night that hope flooded every part of our lives. A defining moment occured as the night drew to an end. Everyone made their way outside with a prayer written down to burn as an offering before Lord. Those in attendance prayed independently and corporately. As we made our way back in to the hallways of the church I was able to witness one of the greatest things a church can do. They entered into fellowship. They shared life, laughter, and good cups of coffee. To me that is one of the most defining representations of hope.