It’s not just us “whacky right wing conservative Christian nut jobs” that think porn is a bad deal – the secular folks are waking up to the devastating effects of it as well. Below is a video originally posted on comedian and actor Russell Brand’s youtube page. In it he talks about the negative affects of porn in his own life and offers some staggering stats from some research type folks. Watch it and don’t watch porn.
Porn is rewiring your brain and your body! It’s jacking you up BAD and you probably don’t even realize it. The 7,884th reason you should stop watching it. That and the fact that it cost the blood of an innocent man to pay for every glance taken.
WARNING!! This a totally secular video but if you’re already watching porn nothing in this will offend you.
Here is a stupid video about eating turkey, giving thanks, and Tony Romo.
Have fun, I know I did!
Stuff I’m thankful for:
Jesus for loving me enough to die for me and live in me!
More freedom every day from the baggage of the abuse in my past!
A really awesome wife who loves me even though I’m an idiot!
Both my kids love Jesus!
Elli because she is so much fun and always makes me laugh!
Elli, thanks for riding go karts! hahaha
Nick because he loves the things I love!
Dude, thanks for going hunting with me and Wreck’em Tech!!
A godly Mom who has always been such an amazing example of who Jesus is!
Joanna still sorta thinks I’m funny!
God walking with us through the loss of my Dad to cancer 11 years ago!
An awesome Dad that invested his life in me!
Thanks Dad for always taking me with you! Tell Jesus I said what up!
Joanna for believing in me and supporting my ministry completely!
That God still lets me do what I do!
The privilege of pouring my life into teenagers!
I got to go to India this past summer!
Joanna for being everything I could ever need or want!
Mike Pinkston!
I get to live in Levelland, Texas!
I’m finally learning to love myself!
Friends that love me and hang out with me!
And Jesus for providing this stuff and these people I have to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!!! – Runks
Youth Revivals, hmmm, does anybody really do those anymore? Do they still work? Will students really invite their friends to one? Yes, Yes, and Yes! I know in a lot of youth ministry circles the youth revival is thought of as just another dinosaur of youth ministry programming but I beg to differ. I do a ton of them and they still work. I’ve done them in the Spring, the Fall, and even the Summer. I’ve done them in big towns and small communities. I’ve done them combined with school assemblies. I’ve done them every which way you could possibly imagine. They look different than they used to, they have different names but the format is still basically the same. And believe it or not, students show up, bring their friends, people find Jesus, and lives are changed.
The normal format is Sunday morning or Sunday night through Wednesday night with camp style services each night. From there I’ve seen every variation you could possibly imagine – from blow up games and mud pits to prize give-aways and Super Summer style rec to gallon challenges and, of course, Pizza. Normally, the youth minister and I hit up the school lunches and hang out with students each day. If the youth minister can get me in I do school assemblies which really provides a big boost to the attendance. All of this with the hope of creating a buzz amongst the students that something big is going on down at the church. If you can create that buzz, I promise you students will come out of the woodwork to be there! So if you’re looking for a “new†way to reach teenagers give the youth revival a shot. They still work, they’re tons of fun, and to top it all off teenagers find Christ!
Here’s a video I put together of a youth revival I did last summer with Jeff Scott at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas. Hopefully it will give you some ideas for your next youth revival!
God Bless ya – Runks
Funny guy with a Deep message?? Is that even possible? Can anybody really be funny and at the same time really have something valuable to say?? Apparently a lot of people don’t think so. I’ve heard a ton of Youth Ministers say that they’re not big fans of “funny speakers†because most funny speakers are just that, funny and not much more. Funny speakers seem to have a bad rep for not having much of any significance to say. They blow in, blow up the room with crazy stories & laughter, say a few fluffy bits of truth, and jump right back to more joking around. Honestly, I have to admit I agree.
So why on earth would I choose market myself as a funny guy??  Because that’s simply who I am and for some crazy reason who God wanted me to be. For some reason God has shaped me through the experiences of my life, some of them painful and some of them simply the result of me being an AD/HD spastic idiot, to be a fun, funny guy. He has also shaped me through the experiences of my life and the things He has taught me about life and Himself to hopefully have something of value to say.
For me comedy is just a tool that God has blessed me with to illustrate deep biblical truths to teenagers. I try as hard as I can to strike a balance between being really funny and offering deep biblical truths that students can grab a hold of and apply to their lives. I may not be the funniest guy around but I work hard to be as funny as I can possibly be. And in the same vein, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but I work hard to engage my mind in my faith by digging into the Word of God and seeking to be as knowledgeable about the Truth as I can possibly be so I can communicate that Truth to hurting teens. I never want to be funny just to be funny. I want to be funny with a purpose. I never want to go on stage just to entertain. I go on stage to enlighten and encourage people with the reality of who Jesus is, how much He loves them, and the difference He can make in their lives. So, as crazy as it may sound, when I speak to students I simply try to be who I am and who God made me to be – a funny guy with a deep message.
Here is a video I had made to hopefully illustrate who I am, what I’m about, and how I communicate truth. (see more videos here)
God Bless ya – Runks
Check out this crazy video I made on the way to The Texas Youth Minister’s Conclave about the evils of self-promotion, bad driving, funny word choices, and why I do what I do. Â Have fun.
God Bless ya – Runks