Kellyville Influence

ReCap: All made in God’s image

Micah Choquette — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:23:47 +0000

submitted by Pastor John Coker, FBC Kellyville

all people, nerds included, are made in God’s image, and that’s where all of us have our value. Therefore, we treat little children, the aged, the handicapped, and even the homely with the respect and love that God has for them. We also don’t devalue ourselves because we aren’t athletic, brilliant, beautiful, or rich. God loves us for who we are (made in His image), not what we can do, or what we can give.

Carry the torch!

Micah Choquette — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:22:44 +0000

In a tearful gathering last Wednesday, I announced my resignation from Kellyville Schools and thus, my position as Coordinator of Influence. The last 3 years have been nothing short of amazing, watching God raise up a new generation of teenagers on fire for Him out of a spiritually stagnant community. This semester saw us hit our highest attendance ever, and grow our weekly attendees to record numbers, as well. We’ve had more and more awesome speakers come in and talk to us and tell us the things that we needed to hear. Over just these last few months, I’ve seen changed hearts and lives. I’ve seen students that had been told all their life how they were nothing, rise up and embrace the plan that God has for them. The evidence of God’s work became clear after the meeting, in which I pleaded with the students to “Carry the torch. Don’t let Influence die out.” Nearly a dozen students came to me afterward and assured me they would help see this thing through.

For the moment, we are just fine. We’ve got special speakers scheduled all the way through the end of January, and I’ve been training our students on how to take care of business. Soon though, there’s coming a time where Influence is going to have to prove that it can survive on it’s own. I’m confident that the youth and churches that have been an integral part of Influence will see it to completion. (Phil. 1:6)

Carry the torch, guys! Let your light be a lamp for the next generation of Influence.

Special Guest Ken Freeman!

Micah Choquette — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:56:30 +0000

When Mr. Castillo came from the Middle School came to me and told me we were going to have Ken Freeman speak here, I got excited. When he told me he wanted to make it a full-blown assembly instead of a regular meeting, I got really excited. Despite a communication mix-up, Ken Freeman made it here on Wednesday December 9th, and boy was it ever a good time.

Arriving to a packed-out gym of over 500 students from the High School and Middle School, Ken Freeman gave a message that captivated and involved everyone in the room, students and teachers alike. When you use visual aids like hundred-dollar bills, and you tell stories about passing gas, you can bet that you’ll hold someone’s attention.

Freeman’s main point was “You’re one choice away from changing your life.” He spoke frankly about how today’s teenagers, many of them in the room that day, are only one choice away from changing their life good or bad. They are one choice away from getting a girl pregnant. One choice away from dying in a drunken car wreck. One choice away from overdosing on drugs. One choice away from a changed life.

Freeman shared the story of his own past, relating that you can “turn a mess into a message”. He promised finish up the story that night at First Baptist Church in Bristow, where I’m told the crowd was even bigger than it had been earlier that day.

Recap: Getting into the Game!

Micah Choquette — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:27:08 +0000

Submitted by Chris Guthrie

Wow! Today was a great day our largest group so far at Influence. “68” It just keeps getting better and better and bigger and bigger! The Lord is doing great things within this group of teenagers. I want to thank Micah and KHS for giving me the privilege to come and speak to this fine group. Here is just a bit of what I spoke about today. It was titled Get Out Of The Bleachers. We as Christians need to see the importance of getting into the game. A lot of us just want to set on the sidelines and watch, look, gaze, and sometimes cheer. We have super fans, minglers, back row fans, and serious fans. But that is not what it is all about. We must be a participator; the ballgame we are watching is called life. It’s time for all of us to get off the bleachers and do something about the broken hurting people out there in the playing field! We have a job to do and it’s not being a watcher. It is to be a player in the game. So get off the bleachers and go tell someone about the wonderful life changing experience that only Jesus can provide.

ReCap: Sharing Christ with Others

Micah Choquette — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:38:16 +0000

How often do you get to see a message that features such characters as Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk or the Human Torch? 62 students turned out for the free pizza and soda (courtesy of June Rose, thanks guys!) and a message from yours truly about sharing Jesus with other people. I used to have an issue with what people would think about me trying to share Jesus with them. Didn’t think I could ever do that. No way, that was for super-Christians. But then I discovered 2 important truths: 1) There are people that only I can reach. They aren’t influenced as much by a Pastor or by Teachers or Parents as much as they are by their Peers. 2) Sharing Jesus with someone else is just about sharing an experience. How has God blessed you? How has he helped you out? What has He done for you? When you hear a friend talking about something in their life, and it reminds you of a similar experience, share it with them. By doing that, you are making them thirsty for what you have. And that is what opens up the door for them to receive God and have their own experience they can share.

Influence Recap: Bringing the Water

Micah Choquette — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:10:14 +0000

Last Wednesday we had a guest at Influence that I had been wanting to have for a long time: Pastor Bart Kelly, from Sapulpa Life Church. (website is being re-aligned at the moment) Pastor Bart was one of my first clients for my other job and I so enjoy talking to the guy. Every time I call him up he’s telling me something else that God has done in his life and for his church. His message brings the experience that we’ve been looking for since day one at Influence, and what he said was unique and important.

If you go read about us, you’ll find one of our favorite quips around the Influence office: “People don’t need lip service. They don’t need a turn-or-burn message. They need hope.” We are very firm about ensuring that we are serving people to Jesus, not dragging people to Him. Pastor Bart’s message brought this about in relating how Jesus spoke in parables (bonus points if you can remember how he defined a parable and comment it!). He showed us how Jesus never forced anything down anyone’s throat. He simply provided the answer, and they had to receive it. He wanted them to learn on their own.

He drove it home by telling us to follow the same example: there’s no point in forcing God on someone. Wait for them to get thirsty and be ready with the water. Great message, Pastor Bart!

We had 42 students in attendance this week. Next Wednesday will be the last meeting for Novemeber due to Fall Break and yours truly will be leading the show. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Influence Recap: Living in the Moment

Micah Choquette — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:04:19 +0000

If there was ever a meeting where I was sorry I hadn’t had my camera or video camera, it was this one! The in/out process went much smoother since there was no heavy equipment to lug around, and Westside Free Will Baptist provided us with free Papa John’s pizza! But that wasn’t even the best part. Chris Lindsey, pastor of Fellowship Free Will Baptist, delivered a message about living the moment, complete with candy and even money! If I could’ve caught the reaction from the students, you’d all be laughing. It was a lot of fun. Pastor Chris brought down the house with his message and not only did we have 64 students show up today (ran out of pizza, the first time that’s ever happened!) but thanks to Pastor Chris’ quick prayer, we had 2 students make decisions for Christ.

This was a really, really good meeting. I deeply appreciate Pastor Chris, FWB Church, and everyone who helped out.

Micah Choquette
IT // Media Design // Influence Coordinator
Kellyville Public Schools
www.kellyvilleschools.org

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Influence Recap: Ken Zachary and Ethics

Micah Choquette — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:04:13 +0000

Today was a very special day at Influence. We met for the first time in our new home: the old gym. More importantly, Football Superstar Ken Zachary was our guest speaker. And that just rocked.

Aside from the audio problems that we had at the beginning (my fault, really). Everything else went off without a hitch. Ken came in and spoke about Ethics, and their importance in the lives of our young people. "You are our leaders of tomorrow," he said. "These are the steps that will lead to success."

It was absolutely wonderful to meet Ken and hear him speak. My only regret was that we didn't get to see him break anything! Of course, this was likely my fault because I took up a good portion of his time. (Sorry, Mr. Zachary!) Even so, you could tell that Ken is a gifted speaker and had a way of capturing the audience with his message.

FBC Kellyville graciously provided lunch for this event, and we thank them for that! Pictures from today's event are below.

Don't forget to let us know which t-shirt logo you want!

Micah Choquette
IT/Media Design
Kellyville Public Schools
www.kellyvilleschools.org

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Influence Recap: Seize the Opportunity!

Micah Choquette — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:03:50 +0000

First, the important stuff: Ben Tuttle from Blue Bell spoke today about Seizing the Opportunities that God gives us. Jesus said in Mark 16:15 to "Go into all the world" and be a witness to others. While some people think that means becoming a missionary or going to seminary school, Ben explained to the students how "this school is your home"; it is their world. They spend more time here than anywhere else, and constantly are given opportunities to live as a light to others, whether it be just in day-to-day experiences or through a divine meeting of some sort. Ben encouraged them to remember to look for the moments where we can share Christ not only through our words but through our actions. It's a message that hit home for everybody in the room, I'm sure. We all have opportunities that we've missed to be an influence to someone, and I pray that God keeps our heart sensitive to those moments. Thank you, Ben, for your wonderful message. Leah Blevins provided an awesome spaghetti lunch to everyone, and even with rounds of flu keeping a lot of our regulars out of school these days, we still hit a nice mark of 44 students there. It was a great time.

Now on to other announcements:

This Saturday is our first community service project! We're going to be assisting the PTO in cleaning up the Upper Elementary Horseshoe Memorial. If you're available meet us at the UE playground at 10am to 1pm. Hope to see you there!

Blue Bell is having it's Youth Night on Sunday, October 24th at 6pm and will feature music from Straight Up and a message from OU's Carl Pendleton.

Westside Freewill Baptist is having their "Scream and Shout" event on Halloween at 6pm. There will be loads of gifts, candy and great music from The Beautiful Chaos, Straight Up and SNL Worship Band.

Influence has finally got their shirt design ready and will be debuting in a couple of weeks. Pricing to come soon, check out the pic above for a demo.

The Beautiful Chaos will having a one-night concert at Kellyville on November 20th at 7pm. We are trying to make this concert free, so be sure to buy a bunch of t-shirts!

Next week we've got the very awesome Ken Zachary coming to speak at Influence. This guy is an amazing strongman, having played College and Professional football, and then going on to The Omega Force, he now runs his own ministry teaching kids about character and the importance of making the right decisions.

Also, a very big one for anyone attends Influence: As I've been saying all along, we are outgrowing our space. We need more room, and so beginning next week, Influene will be meeting in the Old Gymnasium. Plenty of room to do new things! Woohoo!

That's all for now folks, see you in seven!

Micah Choquette
Influence Coordinator
Kellyville Public Schools
www.kellyvilleschools.org

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from KELLYVILLE:INFLUENCE

Influence Recap: Courage

Micah Choquette — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:03:44 +0000

“If you’re going to influence the world around you, it’s going to take courage.” These were the words of John Coker, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Kellyville, OK as he delivered a well-written message about courage, the need for it and where we can get it. He shared a story about a Russian minister who was executed for preaching the gospel. The article, as told by his daughter, described how half their siblings had died as well, all for the sake of Christ. While a student’s experience in sharing Jesus may not lead to such consequences here at the school, the courage to die for your faith or simply to stand up for your faith comes from the same place: the Holy Spirit and a daily relationship with Jesus Christ.

A packed crowed of 34 showed up for the meeting, despite that we didn’t serve food today. As their sponsor, I got up and told them how proud and impressed I was that so many of our students aren’t just in it for the free food, but here for the teaching and fellowship, just like what we received today.

I thoroughly enjoyed Pastor John’s message and am looking forward to seeing him again. More great things coming, announcements will be made as they become available!

Micah Choquette
Influence Coordinator

Kellyville Public Schools
www.kellyvilleschools.org

Posted via email from KELLYVILLE:INFLUENCE