I’ve been asked numerous times this week what I will be doing for Halloween, and as I think about what my answer will be I am rushed with ideas of trick-or-treating and going to the annual costume party. What is my response? Sure I’ve dressed up in costumes a few times and gone trick-or-treating, or even gone to a few parties. But this year is a bit different. My focus is intentionally and prominently shifted from myself to God, for now I am Second. What comes across my mind now is a question. How can you use this holiday to show those around you what being Second means? Just as Halloween is an opportunity to be creative with our costumes and have fun, it can be an opportunity to be creative in ways to bring this Good News to those around us, our family, friends, and especially our neighbors.

One awesome I idea I heard this week is reverse trick-or-treating; dress up and go around the neighborhood and instead of asking for candy, share something. Take a moment to share not only something tangible (candy, or a non-traditional treat) but also share our greatest possession, Christ. The challenge is to do something, be something different, and not for yourself, but out of the position of I am Second with the intention of lifting up Christ.

How can you lift up Christ in Halloween? How can you change the essence of this holiday to one that allows you to position yourself as Second? I have a good idea what I’ll be doing now, and how I can lift up Christ on this holiday.

Do you have a plan? Share what you are doing, or what you did to lift up Christ this Halloween.

-Patrick, I am Second Intern

As project manager of the I am Second movement for e3 Partners I have been known to keep some late nights. Sometimes it’s prepping for a presentation or a day of video interviews. At other times it’s sending e-mails to folks going over the checklist of tasks to accomplish the next day.

Or it could be reviewing the latest rough cut of a feature conducted by our outstanding video partners Scott Mayo and Sam Ditore. It could be perusing the latest photographs by Trey Hill and Stanley Tongai; reading a blog entry by Shannon Culpepper or Victoria Childress: getting a peak at the latest creativity from Adam Leydig and Kristin Baxter; going over notes from meetings with our visionaries and strategists Nathan Sheets and Mike Jorgensen, organizing an event with Kristin DeRight and Bobbie Arnett; going over web applications with Rod Bayron and Josh Widener; hearing any number of ideas with curriculum writer Doug Bender; deciding on Google adwords with Rebekah Russom; or interfacing with our numerous outside vendors and are incoming staff Andrew McAlyea and Chris Plekenpol.

I spend a lot of time thinking about my I am Second colleagues and the great work they are doing. But last Friday night I was up late thinking about someone else. In fact I was praying for him.

I was praying for Ralph Brown because of his latest blog post on the Crosstheatlantic.com website. You see, Ralph and his brother Bob embarked at the end of July on an incredible journey—sailing a 21-foot flats boat (designed to run in very shallow water) from Florida, up the coats of the US and Canada and then across the Atlantic via Greenland, Iceland and other islands in between. He left on June 24. Now about two months later, over two thirds of the way there, Ralph’s blog asked me to pray for them.

They were almost to the Faroe Islands (in between Iceland and Ireland), racing ahead of some monster storms. They were battling 10 foot high waves in their little boat and 12 hours earlier were 104 miles away from their next stop. I was eagerly waiting for their next blog post to inform us that they had arrived safely. So in the meantime I prayed for their safety so they can accomplish their mission of sailing across the Atlantic in this vessel and eventually on to Germany. And as things turned out, they needed my prayers, as 10 miles from docking they become lost in some of the most dangerous waters anywhere. Only by God’s grace and help did they survive.

Yes, they are setting new world records with this trip. But there is much more significance to it. I urge you to go to the website and read about their story. You’ll read about a man passionate about honoring three fellow soldiers who were killed attempting to rescue Americans being held by Iran 30 years ago. This trip is to remember their valor, and to raise money for wounded heroes who similarly have put their lives on the line.

I am Second and our friends at Interstate Batteries were impressed enough by Ralph’s perseverance and passion to help sponsor the boat for this crazy adventure. We felt that doing so could help raise awareness of the mission to the point that others could get involved as well. Some companies, including Panasonic’s Toughbook computers have done so in small ways. And there have been individuals who have donated for gas and other expenses. But to really be successful in raising money for wounded heroes they need to have grassroots support of many people to buy a t-shirt and have the proceeds go to the wounded heroes.

Ralph’s slogan for the trip is “Do more than just say thanks.” What an I am Second attitude that is! When conviction comes into our lives, is our response to be just the bare minimum? When Christ wants to unleash us in ministry or outreach, are we to be lazy in our approach?When we are compelled or blessed by the Lord, we are to do more than just be grateful. We are to be obedient to His involvement in our lives and follow it to the fullest

I urge you to join in praying for their mission. They need it!! Also, please go to cross theatlantic.com, check it out, read their blogs and buy a t-shirt. Do more than just hear about the trip. Please support it.

John Humphrey

I’m not here to promote bands or anything, but during my morning routine, I was listening to Shane&Shane on random. As I’m sitting there putting on my make-up (don’t tell anyone I wear it, okay?) and complaining to myself about how much I need sleep, I hear “Arise! And awaken. He is King!” in other words “Shay wake up! You get to serve the Lord today!” After that, a string of songs played, each hitting me a little bit harder with this idea of truly being second. It was a reminder that you can do all of the churchy stuff you want, but if your heart is not putting Christ first, what’s the point? I want to share these with you.

“Less of me is more of Jesus.”

“Teach me to number my days
At the most 80 years
Who cares about meaningless things?

I do and I care about art too and I care about yahoo*
Things that are fleeting and 
Fading away

Awaken my soul
Awaken my soul”

“Make me the breath of God, and I’ll show them the one that means the most to me.”

“We’ve come to declare the beauty of the Lord.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a hobby that I am passionate about. Don’t laugh at me, but I love to swing dance. You can catch me out several nights a week dancing the night away with my crew. When I’m not around it, I talk about it. I try to encourage others to come try it out because I’m thoroughly convinced it will make their life better. It’s so much fun. But wait. Less of me? Is this a meaningless thing? This last quote is the part that gets me, “I’ll show them the One that means the most to me.” I’m quick to tell people about the hobby that I adore, but Christ should is the One that means the most to me. So why don’t I share Him that way?

Sara Groves has a song called Conversations. It’s about her talking to someone who isn’t a believer. She says: “We’ve had every conversation in the world about what is right and what has all gone bad, but have I mentioned to you that this is all I am, this is all that I have.” It seems crazy that w can be so crazy about our God, but aren’t willing to share it. But if He really is all that we have, shouldn’t we share Him that way? I know I’m guilty of this. I love telling people about Jesus, but I share Him as a cool thing that they should check out, like swing dancing.

My challenge to you is to act like your days are numbered, and talk about Christ like He is all that you have. (Because they are—and He is.) Share your passion for Christ with someone today!

I’m humbled this morning by this slew of messages from the Lord. I just thought I’d share my heart with you.

-Shay J

How has I am Second affected you?

The grand prize is a $2,222 towards your choice of an e3 Partners mission trip

(Learn more about e3 mission trips here)

Here’s how to qualify:

1. Submit a video between 10 seconds and 2 minutes answering this question: How has Christ used I am Second or iamsecond.com in your life?
   
2. The submit your video one of two ways:
   
   1. FACEBOOK: Share your video (the video itself, not a link to the video) on our facebook fanpage.
      
   2. YOUTUBE: Post your video on your YouTube account. Write a comment on our channel that includes a link to your video.
      
3. Videos need to be submitted no later than Midnight Wednesday, September 15^th. We’ll announce the grand prize Monday, September 24^th.
   

Helpful Suggestions:

1. Webcams are great! We love hearing and sharing stories from our fans, so tell us yours. A webcam video at 2 o’clock in the morning is just as effective as a video shot in a studio with high-tech equipment.
   
2. Talk like you’re having a conversation with your best friend. Be authentic and raw. It’s also best that you don’t use Christian-ese or clichés.
   
3. Focus on the transformation. Whether that’s philosophical, attitude, or behaviorial transformation. We want to hear about your struggle, but more importantly how you overcame that struggle.
   
4. Tell us the role Christ played in the story. He’s the one that transformed you, so give Him the recognition He deserves.
   
5. Post it to your facebook or myspace profile when you’re done. You never know who might watch and get inspired to go the site.
   

That’s what we call her. “Hey intern! Can you grab this for me?” Ha! We’re always messing with her, though! Actually I just came from breakfast the I am Second intern, Miranda. She’ll be headed back to college today, and we’ll definitely miss her. I wanted to share with you some of the amazing things that God has been showing me through her life. These lessons can change the way you live and think.

    EXAMINE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE. God has been working on both Miranda and me this summer in the way that we look at others. . “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6. This has several applications. First, you should show love to everyone, because everyone is on a spiritual journey. It’s our duty to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” So whether the person is an atheist, or if they just came back from a mission trip, spur them on towards Christ. The second part of that is that all people are just people, so be careful not to judge. If they don’t know Christ yet, don’t be upset when they act like an unbeliever. How can we expect that person to act as though they know Christ when they don’t? It’s not our place to judge, just to show the love of Christ.

    BE ONE MISSION EVERYWHERE. Where ever you are, whoever you’re with, whatever you’re doing, you can show the love of Christ. You don’t have to be overseas to tell people who He is. You don’t have to have tracts with you. You don’t have to know everything about the Bible. You just have to be willing to serve others and tell them about the love of Christ.

    LIVE EVERY SINGLE DAY TO THE FULLEST. If all you had was today, would you be satisfied with the way you glorified Christ with your day? We went to a Switchfoot concert last night, and the weight of their lyrics was heavy on my heart. “I dare you to Move” “Gone” and “Meant to Live”. All encourage us to live life to the fullest: TODAY. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34. Like the scripture I referenced in Colossians, “Make the most of every opportunity.” Don’t wait to tell your best friend what Christ has done in your life. You may only have today. Don’t wait to start serving those in need. You may only have today. Don’t wait to make amends with those you’ve hurt. You may only have today.

It’s been incredible to see her grow in these areas, and the way that she’s ready to take these concepts back to school with her. (Let me brag on her for a second) It’s been incredible to see the way that as she let’s God in, He is changing her heart to be more like His.

One more thing we talked about was encouraging others when you have learned something about Christ. So that’s what I’m trying to do here: sharing with you the way God’s been showing me how to live.

So my challenge is to show someone the love of Christ TODAY and EVERY DAY from here on out. J

-Shay

We got an encouraging email from one of our I am Second group leaders today that I wanted to share with you.

This past week was by far one of the most moving and spiritually enlightening weeks we’ve had in our group. This week we ended on John Meador’s video. At first glance, it really didn’t affect people much. But after a short discussion, I posted/asked a two part question that was related to the video.

I asked “Think of something you pray to God about often to take out of your life, get rid of, or just fix it”. For example I gave my wife’s parents. She prays often for their salvation and for them to become a part of the family again, they are Jehovah Witness’.

Most people answered out loud something they wanted gone or fixed in their life.

The second part of that question was “Now if you knew that your relationship with God would not be the same, and you would not be as close to Him as you are if He took away or “fixed” the problem, would you still want it gone?” Basically would you sacrifice your relationship with God to feel better here on Earth?

This hit people hard—harder than I expected. Had a lot of tears shed , and people open up. A lot with their own personal struggles. It brought out the “I” problem we as humans have, the fact we want peace and security “NOW”, and are willing to sacrifice our relationship with God, if we can just “feel good” now.

It was great. I think people finally felt they were not alone in their struggles. A video, while touching, never really stuck me that much, but when dug deeper in ourselves, we can see just how selfish we are a lot when we don’t put ourselves “second”.

I love this story for two reasons. First of all, it really highlights the power of community. By opening up to each other, the members of this group were able to get closer to God. Second, it’s such a good question that Billy asked. Would we sacrifice our relationship with God in order to be more comfortable in this lifetime? I challenge you to ask yourself this question, and then go grab coffee with someone and ask that person this question. Thanks Billy for sharing!

If you haven’t watched John Meador’s video, you can watch it here: http://iamsecond.com/#/seconds/John_Meador/.

If you would like to start an I am Second group of your own, you find materials to do that here: http://iamsecond.com/#/getinvolved/.

-Shay

 ”For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom
every family^] in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” –Ephesians 3:14-19

That passage makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Look at how passionately and how thoroughly Paul is praying for others to know Christ! It’s not a “Dear Lord, please help me be a light in my friends life that he may be saved. Amen.” No no no. He passionately is praying that they will fully understand who Christ is and that they will “be filled with all the fullness of God.” How often do we pray like that? How often do we even hope like that? When I see someone who I know doesn’t know Christ, my desire is meager, “I hope they’ll find themselves one step closer toward You.” But what if I prayed like Paul, who had an incredibly fruitful ministry. What if I prayed that those who don’t know Christ that they have the Spirit in their inner being? I would argue that the way we pursue those who don’t know Christ would change. More than that, Christ could answer those prayers. Here are the next two verses:

“ Now to
him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

He can do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” So don’t be afraid to shoot for moon in your prayer life! My challenge is that you think of three people today that either don’t know Christ or who have fallen away from Him, and you say this prayer for each of them. Let me know how it goes!

If you haven’t ever felt this yourself, or don’t know Christ personally, let me say that this is my prayer for YOU. If you need to talk or have any questions, please call us 1-866-633-3446, or email us at first@iamsecond.com.

Around here, one of the biggest things we try to drive home is that everyone needs Christ. Everyone. So don’t miss an opportunity. The sad thing is that sometimes we get caught up in the “how” and miss the heart of the matter. We need to show love. This song has been on my heart lately so I thought I’d share it with you!

Let me know what you think!

-Shay

I have a really interesting job working for I am Second. When we first launched in December 2008, our team was quite a bit smaller than today, and if you would have asked me then what I do for I am Second, my answer would have been, “what do I not do?” Wow, those were the days. We were a hard-working team, trying to be a well-oiled machine, but really just begging the Holy Spirit to give us enough grace to get through each day. Each day was a miracle in itself and each day was absolutely beautiful – a smallish team in a section of our not so smallish office just waiting to see what God was going to do each day with I am Second.

Today is no different. Our team has grown, our roles have changed, but the miracles have not. I get the blessed opportunity to witness some of the most fun and the most random as I wear a few hats now.

Coordinating the volunteers is quite an adventure. EVERYONE just wants to do SOMETHING. But we don’t have places for EVERYONE here in our smallish office as noted before. I have been amazed at the willingness of people who just want to serve, want to love, want to do…to see the hands and the feet come together and serve sacrificially as the body is a beautiful thing. But let me tell you where there’s a place for you to volunteer. Where are you reading this? Your home? Starbucks? Library? Panera? Wherever you are, I bet it’s somewhere that someone else could be reading with you. As our volunteer coordinator, let me encourage you to invite someone to come talk about I am Second with you – we even have a little guide that you could follow. It’s pretty amazing – I even started a group in our office of I am Second staff. We like to put our money where our mouth is, and God has blown us away with the ways he likes to show up in our little get-togethers.

Ya know what else is part of my job? I get to see the behind-the-scenes of behind-the-scenes, and I am assistant to the I am Second Executive Director. As the one who does the managing, the scheduling, the phone calling, the emailing, the updating, the booking, the you-name-it for all of our boss over here at I am Second…it’s a blessing. From the top down, everyone who works here is prayerful and passionate, and it starts with our leadership, and I am so honored that we work with the best (“second” best…haha) leadership team around. From starting all of our meetings in prayer to praying over phone calls and emails before they go to celebrities, working at I am Second is a blessing because we have leaders who LIVE Second for us, and that’s where it starts. I watch it every day, and if we didn’t have that leadership, I don’t know where our team would be.

That’s just a day in my life…I love my job. From Executive Director to volunteers, I get to have a relationship with them all, and I can’t think of a better group of people who truly live up to their cause. My coworkers inspire me every day to check myself and make sure I am living Second – even the summer intern quickly reminds me when I’ve gotten out of line. It’s a beautiful place made up of people being elbows and hips and knees and ears and wrists and pinky toes and ankles and shins and noses and heads and feet and…well, you understand. It’s the body of Christ working together, and I’m just glad I can be a part of it.

I think I’ll be the pinky toe and keep everyone balanced. Isn’t that what they’re for?

Have you ever heard of a cardboard testimony? Go to Youtube and take your pick. They are amazing. It’s a candid way to explain how Christ has changed your life. So what is yours? How is your life different because of Christ? Can you tell your testimony in a sentence or two?

The reason I ask is because many of you are buying t-shirts and bumper stickers. Many of you are posting I am Second to your profile. But what do you say when someone asks you what it is? You don’t want to scare them off by being cheesy. You want to be authentic. So, relating it to yourself, you can make your answer more genuine.

Here’s what I say:

“What is that?!”

“It’s a website where people from all walks of life tell their stories.”

“But what does that mean, I am Second?”

“For me, I am Second because my life was full of chaos and anger and now that I’m second it’s full of peace and joy. You should check out the website to learn more.”

I incorporate my I am Second testimony into the answer. So what’s your cardboard testimony, and how can you incorporate that into your answer when people ask about I am Second?

Your next challenge is to tell someone your cardboard testimony. I better get lots of answers from you guys !

-Shay