I hope you are doing well. I know it has been a while since I have posted a blog on this site. It was because of the understanding and decision to create a new website just for my blog and to provide resources from the team that I lead. I would love for you to check this out. The new url is www.jeffsnodgrass.com.Hope you enjoy!

What a Ride,
Jeff Snodgrass
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Have you ever had those days that just stink? Well today was just one of those days. It seems as if nothing could go right. From the little things to the big things. From one meeting to the next, it just seemed as if the day would never turn around.

And as frustrated as I might have been, God never ceases to amaze me. One of the things I decided lately was to begin to ride my bike to work more often. One thing you must know about me is that when I get frustrated I am that type of guy that has to do some sort of physical activity. When I was a kid, it was punching walls. Now as I am older, some of the things I will do are punch a punching bag, lift weights, ride a bike, or anything else that allows me to focus on God.

So as I am riding my bike to work today I looked over at a house with a grandmother teaching her grandson how to climb down the front door steps. This grandmother was so excited to see her grandson climbing down the steps.

This image stuck with me the rest of the ride to church. It reminded of Psalm 23.

Psalm 23:
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The Hebrew description of God in this passage is JEHOVAH-ROHI, which means “The Lord is your Shepherd.”

Just as excited as this grandmother was guiding this child down some steps, imagine how excited God might be to guide us in every day life; which means he is with us the crummy days and the amazing days. So regardless of what kind of day you had, be still and find confidence that JEHOVAH-ROHI- The Lord is your shepherd.

Last night we had some students ask us some questions about our relationship and why we are so happy. Julie began to share about standards. The more I minister to this next generation, the more I realize this next generation is not setting standards. God is very clear that He wants us to date someone that is a believer.

2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

If light has no relation with darkness, believers should not be dating unbelievers. I cannot count the times young women have shared with me how they are being screwed over and hurt from some guy that has no intentions of dating them. I want to be very clear, the pain that is caused because there have been no standards set.

When I was in my teenage years, I was in the same boat. I never set standards and sure enough the pain came along with the lack of standards.

My encouragement to you tonight is to set standards. Set them as high as the sky. Set them with grace and mercy in mind, but set them as high as you can. If you have faith in God first and practice having relationships with the standards you set, he will give you people that really do care about you and that are not just there for their own selfish reasons.

During invitation, many came forward, but the best part about the night was seeing two specific students come forward. These weren’t just two ordinary students. These were two young men that some of our regular attenders have been praying for for almost a year to come to SHIFT and to receive Christ. It was incredible to see them come forward and to respond to Jesus.

On another note, it is funny to me that when I see amazing stories like the one mentioned above, you also see Satan attack. He tried to do whatever he could to hinder the service from going the way it was planned. There were so many technical difficulties that our team has not faced in a long time. This might be twisted, but I love when Satan attacks, because I know God is on the move and Satan is doing everything he can to stop the amazing work of God. Well, Satan failed. God moved in a powerful way tonight.

My encouragement to those of you reading this blog is that if you face trials and tribulations, face them head on. Because if there are trials and tribulations, chances are, God is trying to move in a big way.

Today I was cleaning our second bedroom at our house. Under the bed were a bunch of boxes of pictures from the past. Most often when you think of a box, you think about what goes into it.

Today I was reflecting about our ministry in 2010 and the changes that took place. While I know there has been talks of frustration because of change, I am well aware of that, on the other side I am very aware of this ministries growth in passion for life change for Jesus. Hundreds of students are coming every week to grow in their faith and are excited to share their story of life change to their unchurched friend.

Ministry is like a box. So often you just do the mundane and do what everyone has always done, but sometimes there is a need for change. In order to go where you have not gone before, you must do something you have never done before.

Tonight I was looking on a friend’s blog and found this video. I LOVED it! It stimulated thought. I would challenge you to watch this video and think about the way you lead. No matter if you are a pastor, teacher, or student, think about your opportunities to lead. Are you doing what has always been done just because? Or should you think about doing something new because what we are doing might not be working?

I am not sure about you, but don’t your prayers seem heavy at times? To me, it feels like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Do you ever feel this way? What if you were not in this alone in this journey and someone actually helped you?

In 2010, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, SHIFT Students had a service that was based on thankfulness. It was so powerful I am still reflecting on it to this day. That night we had stations set up for students so they could express their thoughts before God.

One station in particular was where students could write one of their prayers on a rock and place it on a table. Then another student would then pick up that rock from that table and take it home to pray for that specific prayer.

I loved this station; to think of a student carrying the weight of another student’s prayer is powerful. One student approached me after saying that is so cool to think someone else would be carrying their rock throughout the week actually praying for them. It was as if the student had the weight of the world lifted off of their shoulders.

As I sit here late at night, do you have this same type of community? Do you have people in your life that are carrying the weight of the world for you? If you do, well, life seems much more appealing.

I hope and pray tonight that you do have that type of community. If you do not, please let me know. I would love to see you get connected here at CCV or some other church.

The truth is, I just want you to know you’re not alone. I would love to pray for you in any way possible. Just shoot me an email and I will pray for you. My email is jeffs@ccvsocal.com.

I am so excited for 2011. This is going to be an AMAZING year at SHIFT Students. We have so many great events planned along with life changing sermon series that will all be directly related to what you are currently experiencing in life.

This week we embark on a new series called “True Life.” This series is based on students just like you who struggle just like you. In fact, in this series, you will be hearing from your peers as they share their story about what God is doing in their lives and the hope, love, and purpose they’ve found in life because of a relationship with Jesus.

Hope to see you this Wednesday. The doors open at 6:30pm.

Thought I would give you some of my thoughts from last night. So, here you go:

• In the afternoon, I interviewed more students that would like to be on our Student Leadership Team. Wow, the team that is coming together is amazing!
• Last night was incredible as it was one of our “I Heart Nights.” These are nights you bring a friend you care for and would like them to be exposed to the hope, love, and purpose Jesus offers.
• We had the Active Skate Team over doing a skate demo for us. So many students were stoked to have this be on our church campus. It was really awesome to have them out with us.
• We also had Mike Foster from People of the Second Chance over to speak. He was incredible! Students are still talking about him all over Social Media (facebook, twitter, etc.).
• We had one of our highest attendances ever for SHIFT Students. It is amazing to see the growth of this ministry in 2010. I can’t wait to see what God does in this ministry in 2011.
• I still do not have the final count of how many students went back for prayer last night. But I do know that students are sharing everywhere the story of what God is doing. That is what we all should be doing; sharing the story of how God is changing us one day at a time. It truly is incredible knowing I have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

Well, that is a brief summary for now. Hope you enjoyed. Keep praying that God moves across the San Gabriel Valley and the world!!!!

Samantha Sandoval

Her explanation:
James 4: 7-10
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinner; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor”.

Most people in the world are hurting and are sad because of things that have made them impure, dirty, weighted down, and / or separated from God. And with Gods love he will wash the “dirt” off you and pick you off the floor and onto your feet and create a band new person that will shine in his glory.

I chose to do this picture idea and this contest because everyone feels like this in they’re life time. I can relate this to my own life and truly take it into heart. Once you surrender to the Lord you can never feel so good, tears stream down your face, and your body shakes, the feeling of being brand new has to feel good, just like getting that mud off.