Way to Long...

So, I made a commitment about 2 years ago that I would blog once a week for as long as I can and I have fallen off that bandwagon, but tonight I am vowing to catch back up.   Yes, I know it is cheating, but my hope is to get back to blogging once a week.  With that being said I will be writing three different blog posts to make up for lost time.  Starting with this crazy Michigan weather.

As many of you know (if I do have any readers out there in cyber space) my beautiful wife Jenny and I have most recently moved to the great state of Michigan.  Yes, we are living in Pure Michigan as Tim Allen likes to call it on all of those awesome commercials.  It has been such a great experience so far and we have met some really awesome people through the church I am working at here on the Southside of Detroit or as they call it here Down River (DWR).  We have been blessed with an awesome two bedroom apartment in the heart of Down River with a great church to attend (I get to work at) for the past two months.  We could not be happier with the situation that God has brought us in.

But what i find to be most exciting is the fact that we are on a journey.  We read about in scripture about the journeys that the disciples were able to take over their lifetime, traveling to far away lands, sometimes away from home, and spread the gospel along the way.  I like to think that Cincinnati was one of those stops for the past 7 months of our lives and now we are off on our next stop of this epic journey God is taking us on.  We moved here two months ago totally through God, because we definitely did not imagine that we would be packing up in early September for Michigan (a state Jenny and i had only been to briefly) and starting a student ministry.  What i find astonishing is that God continues to show us that we are on a journey.  Although we are further from the place that we love so much, being closer to our families, we have found that a ministry must be done here.  We have had opportunity to meet some great leaders from the church here at Twin Oaks Christian, as well as run into some awesome people along the way.  It is even more exciting to think that we are just at the very beginning of this very long journey, here in Michigan specifically.

We have truly felt called here, Michigan was not on either of our minds, and we both believe that although it is a had to be far from our families that we have been brought here for a reason.  God has placed us in the "DWR" to make a change and we could not be happier to be a part of such an amazing change.

My prayer over the next year is that this blog will continue to chronicle the journey that God is taking us on.  We will encounter good times and bad, ups and downs, but I am so excited to continue on this journey.  Just hoping that the little, seemingly insignificant things that we do in our daily lives would truly reflect the love of Christ with those we in encounter.  For what more is there in this world than to glorify the living God.



till another day,


normallyINDIE

the Uprising...

As many of you know as of September I accepted a position at Twin Oaks Christian Church in Woodhaven, Michigan to become their Student Ministries Pastor.  I have been working for this church for just over a month and last night we were able to launch our brand new Student Ministry service called the Uprising.

This is going to be a church led by students for students purely to spread the gospel to all of the students that are in our Down River Area.  The Uprising is dedicated to building up a group of students that will faithfully, humbly, & wholeheartedly serve the Lord.

I had the honor last night of putting on our Fall Kickoff with all the help I could get from my Adult Sponsor team.  We had a wonderful night of worship, fun, fall inspired food, and relevant speaking.  It was so exciting to see over 50 Middle School & High School Students there who were excited to hear what all of the Uprising was all about.

Now outside of all of the logistics and everything else, I am so excited to be serving God here at Twin Oaks.  To lead a service like this is what I have been dreaming about doing since I felt the call to go into Student Ministry back in High School.  I have been dreaming of the day when God will give me a chance to preach the gospel to a group of students that are anxious to hear it.  It is such an amazing feeling and I am so honored to be serving him in this way.

I cannot imagine what God has in store for us at the Uprising, but I am so excited and I know he is going to do some amazing things.

If you would like to keep up on all things the Uprising then check out:

Facebook: The Uprising

Twitter: @Uprising_SM

Website: www.twinoakschristian.com

I am so excited for the school year and to see what is going to happen.


till another day,


normallyINDIE

Just another week...

Yes, it is the middle of August 2012 and there is really not much to talk about in life.  We are in the midst of something amazing here at Groesbeck Church with a rebranding campaign in full swing.  We are just one month away from the relaunch of our Contemporary Service at 11:00am on Sundays and we could not be more excited about the opportunities that are going to come our way as we begin to serve the church.  

But when I really think about it...what seems to keep coming to my mind is why we do what we do?  What is the purpose of living a life as a pastor to a congregation of people who are looking for something.  It is really just that.  All of us inside are seeking something in our lives whether it be fame, fortune, love, happiness, but all of those things still really cannot fill the void that seems to get more vast every second of every day.  That is the amazing gift that we pastors have the opportunity to share on a weekly basis.  

The idea that hope can be find in a relationship with Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alone.  It makes all those other things seem insignificant.  It brings to light the reason that we pastors stay up late and wake up early, visit the sick, preach on sundays, counsel during the week, because there is a community we are a part of that is looking for something.  We have that something and it is our job to show that to them.  

God has revealed in me that despite all things, he power and hope reigns true in all things.  It is an exciting feeling and most of all a feeling that makes me want to drive to work every morning.  A feeling that excites me when I have the chance to interact with students.  A chance that excites me when I am able to share the gospel with a student and they get it.  There is not a better feeling in life then knowing that you shared the gift of life with someone, the gift of life in Jesus Christ.  

till another day, 

normallyINDIE 

And the Vote was...

If you have been following Groesbeck United Methodist church in Colerain Township for the last couple of months, you know all about the Consultation process. This being a process that was voted on and issued by the West Ohio Conference of Methodist Church (for those of you who are non-denominational, this is the form of organization for the Methodist Denomination in West Ohio). Led by our conference leaders Sue Nelson Kibbey and Brian Brown, our church was chosen as one of only 12 in the 1100 that call themselves West Ohio Conference members. This is truly an honor to be considered for this and our church members as well as staff were really exciting to see what this meant.

Therefore, over the past months there have people evauluating our church, all the way from our building structure to our worship style. They explored all areas of our church community and at the end of their time of evaluation they gave us 5 prescriptions. These prescriptions were 5 changes that they believed needed to be made in order to take our church to the next level. After a month of town hall meetings and conversations the church membership body took a vote and by a wide margin the prescriptions based (92.7%) and will be initiated over the next 3 years here at Groesbeck.

This exciting time of evalutation mostly makes me felel as though I should praise the Lord for the gift he has given us as a church, but it also reminds me that there are some huge opportunities that must be taken advantage of over the coming years. We, as a staff and church body, have an amazing opportunity to change the lives of thousands of people in the Colerain community through the changes and development that will come with these prescriptions. All of which are centered on our core task to go and make disciplines.

With all that being said, I would ask for your prayers in the coming years for guidance from our loving and faithful Lord as well as leadership. We are feeling callling to shared the gospel with as many people in the Colerain area as possible, therefore we need your prayers.


till another day,



normallyINDIE

Time for a Change...

The last three months have brought a lot of excitement to Jennifer and I's life.  We have been given the opportunity to live in a great apartment in the heart of Cincinnati, I have started the perfect job for me at Groesbeck United Methodist Church as their Community Youth Pastor, and not to mention we are getting married in just 10 days.  With all of this has come a lot of excitement, sadness, and change, but despite all of this the Lord seems to always speak through those around us to encourage, lift up, and prove to us that he is in control.

This past sunday at Groesbeck we were blessed with the opportunity of hearing our denominational leaders speak to us in regards to what 5 things we do great, what 5 things we do not so great, and what 5 things will change our church for the better.  They called the latter 5 prescriptions to bring this congregation out of a plateau and into a substational incline.  For many people this can seem threatening, a group of outsiders telling us how to run our church, not gonna lie that is how I felt at the beginning.  But I realized that all good businesses and organizations must go through a period of guidance and it is a huge blessing to have talented people help us reach more and more people with the gospel.  I began to realize that my pride was hindering us from truly reaching the 2,200 students that go to Colerain HS for the gospel.  But the Lord has given us a second chance to become a church that is most worried about the thousands of people that have never set foot in our doors, instead of the 300 that call this place home.

These prescriptions are not only a challenge, but they are just that a cure for the decline we have been facing.  Although there could be a thousand reasons for where we are at as a church currently, those no longer matter.  God has given us an amazing chance to take what we have been given, trust in him and run with it wholeheartedly.

For all of those that are reading this from Groesbeck UMC I promise to you all that no matter what happens on March 25th, I have trusted in the Lord with CHAOS//SM and in whatever direction he believes we should take it is the direction that it will be going.  I have began running toward the Lord and I hope to bring as many of you a long as I can and I truly believe that these 5 prescriptions are like getting a brand new pair of running shoes.  The Lord has given us an advantage, a head start, for this race he calls "spreading the gospel" and we need to tie those laces and start running.



till another day,



normallyINDIE

Senioritis...

It will be 4 short weeks and I, Alec Myles Tod, will be graduating from Cincinnati Christian University with a Bachelor of Sciences in Biblical Studies and Youth Ministry.  It was 3 years in the making, but I am finally at the point when I can begin to call myself a college grad.  It is one thing to be a college student and have that satisfaction under my belt of learning, but it is yet another to say that I am the first of the immediate Tod family to graduate from college.  My mother and father both did not graduate from college for different reasons, therefore growing up and graduating from the school of handwork and discipline.  They have worked very hard to get to the position they are in now, specifically my dad, and this is just the next step for me in that hard working journey.

But with this upcoming deadline comes a disease that is contagious and is known as "Senioritis".  Yes, I was treated for this disease in the fall of 2007 when I became a High School senior.  Throughout High school I was given amazing opportunities to excel and senior year was no exception.  But it seemed that I was so concerned about what was going to happen in college the next fall, that I forgot what was right in front of me.  Because of my impatience and anticipation, I lost opportunity to speak with people about Jesus Christ.  I was so ready to continue on this journey that God calls life, that I did not realize the rest area would be humanity.  These lost opportunities have motivated me to become the person I am today, a fully dedicated life to the service of students.

In the same situation, it is only 4 shorts week away and I too will be feeling the true affects of senioritis.  I am battling these feelings as week speak with some going for me outside of work at Emmanuel Church of Greenwood.  Graduating Dec. 2011, Start a new job Jan. 1 2012, Getting Married (March 10, 2012), walking at commencement May 12, 2012.  As these major events have me looking at least 8 months in advance.

But what I have come to realize is that we have been placed in every situation we see ourselves in for a reason.  That the most important thing to realize is to passionately spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  For me, in this very moment, I have been placed at both Emmanuel Church of Greenwood and One Mission Society for a specific reason.  Although that passion may fizzle, I have begun to realize that worshipping God through the obedience and trusting your life with Christ is what must happen.

As a senior I look forward to every day that I am given and especially the opportunities that are placed before me, whether it be marriage, a job, or merely speaking the truth of the gospel to a person that I meet.  I am truly honored to be a small part in the redemption of this earth.


Till another day,


normallyINDIE

6 Weeks and Counting...

Those of you who know me well, would know that I have been working alongside Shane Combs and the rest of the MovementSM staff for the past 7 months.  It has been a journey all the way from my first nerve racking days in May of this year, wondering what the summer would, all the way to this moment when I am staring at the calendar and it reads November.  Many would believe that at this moment I will begin to be sad and nostalgic, but I am not I just want to express to those that are listening the impact that the Movement Student Ministries as had on my life.

As I said before I came into this ministry without knowing anyone (besides Shane briefly) in May of this year.  I jumped right in working on Summer programming, trips, WOODLANDS, with Amber and that time Mitch.  It was a great summer of trial and error and getting to know one another, especially getting to know Shane, not only as a boss, but as a true friend.  Shane had the opportunity to speak at a conference in Dallas in early August and because of his fear of flying Mitch and I had the chance to drive and tag along.  This may have been one of the best bro trips I have taken in a long time.  Although, their were ups and downs there were conversations to be had and memories to be made.

We then moved into the heart of the Student Ministries calendar, the fall.  This year was especially exciting because there was a vibe of anticipation and excitement.  We began Cell Groups and leadership that went off great with over 200 students in the Cell Group ministry.  More students every week were coming and hearing about the gospel of Christ, many of them accepting Jesus into their heart for the very first time.  There is nothing better than the feeling of when a student truly "gets it".

In the meant time, I began a bible that meets on Tuesday mornings at 6am with 6 promising young minds and a co-leader (Jason Beck) called McTuesdays.  This name given to the program by the students reminds us of the day and the fact that we will be enjoying wonderful McDonald's breakfast as we dive deeply into the word of God.  We went through much of Genesis, stopping every 4th week to have a Question week where the students can ask anything they would like.  This study has not only challenged the students, but it has challenged me to continue to teach at a high level and grow with the students.

My fiancé had the privilege of going on the Cell Group Leadership trip to Gaitlinburg where Jenny fell in love with some amazing young ladies (Mackenzie Essig, Miranda Gladish, and Alex Harrell).  She then became the first two's Cell Group Adult Leader and they have been great friends ever since.

Moving forward things have begun to slow down student ministries wise, but only to amp up last week when we threw Block Party 2.0, a fall themed party for all the students involved in Cell Groups (275+).  It was so exciting to be a part of such a huge success and we are so excited for Block Party on Ice which is coming soon.

With all of these crazy things that have happened in my 23 weeks here at MovementSM and all the other crazy things that are still to come, God has taught me one thing.  He has taught me that despite your attitude or the attitude of those around you, in is your responsibility to glorify him to obedience.  Not the obedience of just following his commandments, but true obedience involving trust, peace of mind, love, dedication, gratitude, giving, and sacrifice.

As I finish out these last couple of weeks at MovementSM, sadly, I am so excited for what is to come and what God has in store for Jenny and I.  Whatever it may be I am merely excited to obey God in that call and continue to worship him through obedience, with a joyfully, humble heart.


till another day,


normallyINDIE

Childhood dreams...

I have felt a little like dreaming about the past recently.  With that being said, as a gift from Netflix (aka i payed $10.99 a month for it) I was sent Angels in the Outfield on DVD.  When I opened this envelope I was so excited because I had not seen that movie since I was 10 years old.  Seeing Danny Glover, "Maggie", "Roger" & "JP", and  the rest of the cast just brought back a flood of emotions from when I was a baseball playing star in little league.  A little leaguer with the dreams of becoming a Major League star someday dawning the colors of my favorite team only one day to play in the World Series.

But the most amazing thing about our lives is that our dreams and aspirations seem to change on a regular basis.  As many of you know, I am not a major league baseball player (still a big fan of baseball) and my dream to become so is no longer there.  But the thing is that my dreams and aspirations although different are still at the center of who I am.  These dreams not coming from a '90's childhood hit movie, but coming from the ever growing relationship with God.  Since 1999, after accepting Christ my life changed as well as my dreams.  My dreams to have an amazing wife and to have a great job, but with these dreams comes a lot of stress and worry.

Our summer has been spent thinking about these dreams and the worry that comes with these dreams.  Where will our next pay check come from?, where are we going to live?, how are we gonna save for a car?, how do we furnish our apartment?, what city will we live in?.  All of these worries have consumed our conversation for the last several months and some of these worries have even dictated some future we have considered making.

But as I continue to think about it, the dreams of working in ministry and preaching to students about the passion I have for Christ.  This dream has begun to become tainted by the lack of response from churches and the ever growing need to pay the bills in the coming months.  But what we have come to realize is that these dreams, although they may change over the years, they are still at the center of who I am.  God has given me the passion and love to serve him, so if that means I serve him in the church or serve at some other profession, my motivation for my dreams will be to serve God daily.

Although my dreams have changed since Angels in the Outfield, they still have the hopes of being something amazing.  When I come to the end of my days I hope for God to welcome me with the words, "Welcome good and faithful servant, you ran the race and kept the faith."

Till Another Day,


normallyINDIE