Thoughts for the journey » Illuminate

The mystery of God’s love

Jason Steckel — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:49:59 +0000

This past weekend was our fifth annual Illuminate Youth Conference. Once again, dozens of volunteers from Rochester Church came together to make this a great event. In addition, we were blessed by a variety of people who helped deliver God’s message around our theme of “Mystery.” Wiley Lowe delivered powerful messages, Salient and DeeperStill both lead us in worship. Ambassadors provided engaging drama (in the style of Scooby Doo). There were quality breakout sessions lead by Salient, Ambassadors, Patrick Mead, Pat Pugh, Sara Barton, Scott Ockerman, Adam Hacias, Evelyn Van Sloten, and Jim Calkin.

I am always impressed by the Rochester Church family, but Illuminate weekend is one of the times when they truly shine. We put out a call for a few hundred cans of pop and bottles of water, and they provided over a thousand. We needed housing for youth groups coming from out of town and everyone had a place to say. Registration, security, lunch preparation, and a variety of other areas were all taken care of and done with excellence. This is only because of the dedication and hard work of scores of Rochester Church members.

One of the most poignant moments of the weekend for me came on Sunday morning. While the conference officially ended on Saturday evening, Deeper Still was with us on Sunday morning to lead us in worship. As she had on Saturday, Veronica was singing with the rest of DeeperStill. J.T. Spivy, a member of Ambassadors, came up to provide a message leading us into our time of Communion. One of the key points he shared was how one day we will all be able to sit around the table with those we have lost. It was such a fitting message as I looked up at the men and women standing on the stage. The last several months have been challenging for many of us, especially Veronica and the DeeperStill family. I thought that J.T.’s words were a message of hope and light in the midst of a time still overshadowed by the darkness of Jeremy’s death.

Life is indeed a mystery. There are many questions that may never be answered on this side of eternity. But there are some things that are not a mystery. God loves and cares for us. There may be moments of difficulty and pain where it’s challenging to see or experience that love, but Love is present. God has given us one another to be a source of compassion and strength. When we find ourselves overwhelmed, there are others who are here to hold us up. that also means that when we see others who are overwhelmed, we must be there to hold them up. We are a family that must love our neighbors as ourselves.

I was reminded this weekend of the mystery of God’s love. A love that never gives up in the midst of a world filled with conditional love. A love that gives all when so much love in today’s society is more about taking. A love that brings light to darkness and hope to despair. It is not a surface, happy-clappy love that acts like everything is fine. Rather, it is a love that sustains and endures, even in moments where all seems lost. That’s the kind of love this world needs and it’s the kind of love that reflects the Kingdom of God.

shine
Jason

Faith, works, and salvation

Jason Steckel — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:14:26 +0000

What is the relationship between faith and works? As we look at what James says in James 2:14-26, we need to begin by seeking an understanding of salvation. Salvation is already, right now, and not yet.

When we are baptized into Christ, we experience the already sense of salvation. In baptism we receive the Holy Spirit, the down payment towards our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). However, we have not “arrived” at that point. We are simply beginning the journey.

The right now aspect of salvation is an ongoing act of transformation. Once we experience the already aspect of salvation, the rest of our lives are committed to God’s continuing transforming of our heart and mind (Romans 12:1-2). If we ever become complacent and stop seeking and growing, we are abandoning God’s desire to save us. But we also know that we will never completely arrive as long as sin exists in the world. So we look forward to a better day.

This not yet aspect of salvation is both the dream we pursue and goal we seek. One day, Jesus will return with a new heaven and a new earth. In this act of restoring Creation, God is promising to make all things new (Revelation 21:1-15). This is the yet unrealized completion of God’s dream. As Christ’s ambassadors, we are called to partner with God in His movement towards the renewal of all things.

When we understand the amazing interplay of the already, right now, and not yet aspects of salvation, we can appreciate the rich relationship between faith and works. James writes in his letter that, “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” (James 1:26) Good works reveal our reaction to the already aspect of salvation. They engage us in the transformation focus of salvation right now. Works move us towards the not yet act of final salvation that we will experience when Christ returns.

Do our good works earn our salvation? No, but they help us grow in our faith and salvation.

Do our good works reveal our salvation? Absolutely! They are a sign of the change we are experiencing in our hearts and minds.

Faith without works is dead precisely because works are the fruit of faith. Faith, if it is real, must be more than belief. As James says, even the demons believe in God. True faith is active. Active faith is a life-long journey. A tree that isn’t producing fruit is dead. The same is true of a Christian who isn’t producing fruit.

Faith should be producing the kind of fruit that Paul writes about in Galatians 5…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If there isn’t fruit, then just like a body without breath, faith without good works is dead.

shine!

Jason

Drive

Jason Steckel — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:18:04 +0000

This weekend at Illuminate our theme has been “Drive.” Since I am writing this in advance of the weekend, I am leaning on the Spirit’s leading to mesh this with David’s lessons. I know that the key passage he will be using (used) this weekend is 2 Corinthians 2:14-15…
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
If we are compelled by Christ’s love, that means we are driven by something working in us and among us. We shouldn’t wait for a youth minister, preacher, or someone else to push us. We should be led by the Spirit of God. As Paul says in Romans 8:9-11, You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
This means our focus as Christians is not to do what is right. Rather, we are called to pursue the One who is righteous. When we focus on works, we miss the point. That would be like pushing your car. When we are filled and led by the Spirit, it’s like having a tank full of gas and using the accelerator. While not a perfect analogy, I hope it makes the point.
If our Christianity is about trying to do the right things without the righteousness of God living in us through the Spirit, it feels like pushing a car without gas. When we allow God’s Spirit to dwell in us, connecting with and pursing God’s will can be much easier.
That doesn’t mean things will be easier, it means that following God will be easier in the sense that it will be more clear. Just like driving a car through mud can still be difficult, pushing a car through mud is virtually impossible. So it is with us and the Spirit of God.
At the same time, we cannot forget that there is an essential communal nature of God’s work. God’s greatest power and work come when we live as the body of Christ. God himself works in community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Can we expect – as human beings created in the image of God – to function any differently?
This means that to be compelled, driven, by Christ’s love we must embody that love towards God, other Christians, and every other human being we encounter. Without the love of Christ in us, through us, and among us, we will find it difficult to allow that love to drive us.

shine!
Jason

Illuminate thank you’s

Jason Steckel — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:26:10 +0000

Illuminate 2009 was a great weekend! We had over 250 students and adults registered for the event as well as a number of special guests who were a part of the weekend. Students from here at Rochester and around the region joined together for times of worship and teaching. In addition, there were several breakout sessions that included a variety of topics and learning styles. We had comedy and a very entertaining concert.
Don McLaughlin, from the North Atlanta Church of Christ, was our keynote speaker who brought the word of God to life in a powerful way. He also stayed and spoke on Sunday morning.
Sean Algaier, from the Jenks Church in Oklahoma, lead us in worship on Friday night and taught a parents/teens class on Sunday morning.
Our own Chris Lindsey led worship on Saturday as well as coordinating everything that happened during our worship times.
Ambassadors, from Ohio Valley University, provided dramas that enhanced the message of the weekend. They also led several breakout sessions.
Hoss Ridgeway provided a lot of laughs through his comedy and led two breakout sessions.
Pat Pugh, from Cincinnati Urban Ministry Outreach, led several breakout sessions.
Randy Hendrickson, from Parkersburg, West Virginia, shared his story in a breakout session.
John Reuben performed a great concert on Saturday night.
In addition to all of those guests, there was an army of people from here at the Rochester Church that made Illuminate happen. I want to thank each and every one of them for their time and energy to make this event possible. Without them, Illuminate would not have been possible:

KITCHEN
Scott Vasseur
Sue Vasseur
Gary Osborn
Dawn Osborn
Jim Lytle
Heidi Lytle
Paul Patrico
Michelle Patrico
Rick Hillman
Paul Shinsky
Barb Huey
Tracy DuBaere
Karen Demsich
Nora Muntz
Lisa Patrico
Jeanie King
Patti Jenema
Carolyn Palmer
Amber White
Dave Turner

SECURITY
Kerry DuBaere
Josh DuBaere
Jerry Ward
Reggie Hansen
Dave Palmer
Joey Kesler
Kevin Stewart
Duncan Mead
Gary Turner
Keith Huey
Bob Stewart
Allen Meinhard
Joe Demsich
Jim Lytle
Elijah Blake
Keith Huey

REGISTRATION & HOUSING
Laura Stewart
Barb Huey
Carolyn Palmer
Lisa Patrico
Heidi Lytle
Debi Gibbs

BREAK OUT SESSION REGISTRATION
Michelle Steckel
Betty Turner
Patti Jenema

GUEST HOSPITALITY
Katie Dear
Dana Spivy
Jenny Hoggatt

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Gary Anspach
Jon Knutson
Dave Cassilly
Matt Brown
Woody Woodward

SET-UP/CLEAN-UP
Kevin O’Sullivan
Rick Hillman
Debi Gibbs
Joey Kesler
Trudy Kesler

SICK ROOM
Tammy Ward

VIDEOGRAPHY
Lee Higginbottom

PRAISE TEAM
Chris Lindsey
Vicki Lindsey
Jeremy King
Veronica King
John Knutson
Holly Knutson
Steve Corp
Brenden Davison

PRAISE TEAM BAND
Chris Lindsey
Sean Algaier
Andy Robinson
Neil Graney
Teresa Graney
Ben Ayers
Aaron Mize

BREAK-OUT SESSION TEACHERS
Patrick Mead
Brian Bowers
Robert Martin
Sara Barton
Scott Ockerman
Shaun Hover
Adam Hill
Adam Hacias
Katy Hacias
David Watts
David Rotberg
Krystal Rotberg
Ty Warczinsky
Brandi Warczinsky
Joe Howard
Chris Lindsey

SPONSORS
Rochester College
Ohio Valley University
York College
Harding University
Great Lakes Christian College

STAGE PREPARATION
Jodie Anspach
Vicki Lindsey

BABYSITTERS FOR VOLUNTEERS
Kerri O’Connor
Allyson Huey
Melody Hastings
Sarah Ageno
Meghan Palmer

PEOPLE WHO HOUSED (approx. 100) GUESTS
Russel & Karen Wilkinson
Bob & Sheila Sparks
Jerry & Tammy Ward
Bob & Laura Stewart
Gayle Flanigan
Duane and Pat Harrison
Bill & Paula Flowers
Todd & Patti Jenema
Mark & Linda Dear
Jeff & Mollie Debandt
Tom & Sara Hayman
Dave Cassilly
Jerry & Julie Parks
Scott & Renee Tekely
Dave & Karen Benedict
Gary & Dawn Osborn
Rick & Merry Hastings
Fred & Lisa Hartman
Keith & Barb Huey

EVERYWHERE
Trudy Kesler
Michelle Steckel
Jason Steckel

Once again, I want to thank everyone who was a part of the weekend. I hope I have not forgotten anyone’s name here, because I really appreciate all of you. Let me end this article with a comment from one of the youth ministers who was here for Illuminate:
“Illuminate was AMAZING! It is quickly becoming my favorite event of the year. Everyone involved did a great job. John Reuben was, as expected, excellent. Well, I am running out of synonyms for really good.”

shine!
Jason

Illuminate videos

Jason Steckel — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:36:08 +0000

Here are the Illuminate 2009 highlight video and Illuminate 2010 teaser video…

Illuminate 2009 Closing Highlights from Lee Higginbottom on Vimeo

Illuminate 2010 Promo – DRIVE from Lee Higginbottom on Vimeo

shine!
Jason

The day after

Jason Steckel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:07:54 +0000

Well, it’s the end of amazing weekend. I will have much more to say tomorrow, but I have to take a minute to thank the wonderful people of the Rochester Church. Over 100 people volunteered to make Illuminate happen. When I did the math, I estimated that over 1,500 hours of work went into making Illuminate a success. Wow!
Over the last several months, I have probably put about 75 hours of time into Illuminate 2009. People ask me how I made Illuminate happen. It wasn’t me all that much. There were another 1,425 hours of time put in by an army of people. I only contributed 5% of the time put into this event. The other 95% came from others who brought a variety of talents and abilities to the table.
Most of all, I want to thank God for being present in an amazing way! I was reminded once again this weekend of the power of God and the value of community. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully this weekend through the hearts, minds, and bodies of scores of people at the Rochester Church. I am blessed to be part of such an incredible church family.

shine!
Jason

Two more days!

Jason Steckel — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:15:39 +0000

It’s hard to believe that we are a little more than 48 hours from the kick-off of Illuminate 2009! The stage is being decorated, final plans are being made, and people are hard at work.
I am asking for everyone’s prayers over the next couple of days. Pray specifically for the following people:

Don McLaughlin, who will be our main speaker
Chris Lindsey and Sean Algaier, who will be leading us in worship
Ambassadors as they present messages through drama
Hoss Ridgeway as he makes us laugh through his comedy
Ignite session leaders, including: Patrick Mead, Pat Pugh, Shaun Hover, a mission team, Randy Hendrickson and Scott Ockerman, Sara Barton, Ambassadors, and Hoss
The dozens of volunteers who are giving up hundreds of hours this week (and some for the last several weeks)
The hundreds of students, parents, and youth workers who will be converging on Rochester Church this weekend

Thank you for praying!!! Pray that God moves in very powerful ways this weekend and that people are set free from the things that bind them.

shine!
Jason

Illuminate 2008…what a weekend!

Jason Steckel — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Last weekend was our second annual Illuminate conference. This is a conference for teenagers, parents, and youth workers that we host at the Rochester Church. Here is a recap…

Friday during the day was filled with last minute preparations. Take 2 performed at assembly at Rochester College. David Fraze and Salient arrived. The final adjustments were made to the stage. We finished setting up rooms. And a whole lot more I probably wasn’t even aware of.

As evening arrived, students and adults started showing up. By 7:00pm, students were entering the auditorium for the evenings activities. After months of preparation, it was time to go!

This year’s theme was "LOST." Our focus was on helping those who felt lost find their way out and helping all of us minister to those who feel lost. Throughout the weekend, I was amazed at the people God brought together to carry out what we hoped to accomplish. As usual, God took our few loaves and fish and turned it into a feast!

The lights went down and the kickoff video played. Then Salient led us in some incredible worship and Ambassadors from Ohio Valley University performed a drama to set up the weekend. David Fraze and Take 2 weaved speaking and drama together to bring a powerful message. The evening ended with a great performance by Riley Armstrong.

Saturday was action-packed! In the morning, Chris Lindsey and his praise team led us in worship, David Fraze delivered another powerful lesson, and Ambassadors performed another drama. Following our morning session, adults and teenagers went to Ignite sessions. The teenagers were separated into three groups (teen boys, high school girls, and middle school girls) to address issues for their specific groups. This was a very moving morning where we addressed issues such as pornography, purity, cutting, eating disorders, body image, and more. All three sessions were led by great people. Patrick Mead and Gary Turner talked with the teen boys. Take 2 led a powerful session with the high school girls. Dana Spivy and a number of other young adult women spoke with the middle school girls.

We had a lunch break where students enjoyed a quick bite to eat, visiting college tables, and hanging out in the Underground Cafe. It was a good break before jumping into the afternoon activities.

Saturday afternoon included one more large session and three Ignite sessions. We had a variety of afternoon Ingite sessions for teenagers to select. Patrick Mead led a few sessions about "getting out of the woods." Pat Pugh and Jason Read asked "why do we go there?" Katy Dzwigalski lead a session about alcohol and drug issues. Josh Graves offered two different sessions, one on "finding your voice" with Shaun Hover and another on "finding hope" with Darren Chilton. Ambassadors led an interactive session called "acting out" where students acted out life situations. Sara Barton talked about "listening to the voice of Jesus. I can’t being to tell you how good of a job all of these people did!

Dinner break sent everyone around the Rochester area for a bite to eat and a chance to decompress before the evening session.

We came back to the building and kicked off the evening with a short performance by Minor Measure, a band consisting of members from the 180 youth group. Then the colleges came up for drawings. The grand prize winner was a student who won an iPod shuffle. After that, Salient came up on stage and performed an exciting, energy filled concert. (I even got called up on stage to dance. That was interesting!)

After the concert we took a short break and it was time for the final session.

Chris led us in worship and Ambassadors performed another drama. Then David and Take 2 presented a powerful message that called us all to let God find us. It was an incredible evening as a number of students responded for prayers. There were over 20 students who had requests for prayers and encouragement. And there were three students who were baptized at the end of the evening! Two of them were from the 180 youth group!! (I also found out the next morning that a student who attended Illuminate was baptized Sunday morning at his home church.)

It was an incredible weekend where God was present in a very tangible way. Thank you to the dozens of volunteers who made it happen! Thank you to the hundreds who attended! Thank you above all to the God who never gives up on finding us, no matter how lost we may feel!!!

shine!
Jason

Illuminate…2 more days!

Jason Steckel — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:17:25 +0000

Well, in a little more than 48 hours, several hundred people will descend on the Rochester Church for Illuminate 2008 – "Lost." We have begun to transform the stage into an island for this weekend. The picture to the right was taken earlier today.

Please be in prayer for David Fraze, Take 2, Salient, Riley Armstrong, Chris Lindsey, Ambassadors, Patrick Mead, Pat Pugh, and everyone else who will be presenting this weekend. I would also ask that you pray for our planning team and our volunteers. Most importantly, pray for the hundreds of people who will be participating in Illuminate this weekend and that God will work mightily among us.

If you want to learn more about Illuminate, please visit www.illuminateconference.org.

shine!
Jason