With Christmas fast approaching I thought I would pass along my top three things to think about and do this Christmas to make it great!

1.  Stop and enjoy the season.  It is really easy to get caught up in the gifts, the fun, and just the noise that happens.  Schools on break, there aren't to many sporting events, and it is easy to fill that time with fun trips, days with friends, video games and everything else.  Take some time in the coming weeks to spend with your family, and with God.  Don't get so busy doing stuff that you never get a chance to soak it all in and remember what Christmas is about.

2.  Be creative in gifts for your parents.  Money is tough, and your parents are probably struggling financially like most people.  Instead of asking them for money to buy gifts for them be creative in what you can make or do for them.  I know it might sound cheesy, but some of the best gifts a parent can get don't cost a thing, and when you have to put thought and effort into a gift instead of just money it really shows how much you care.

3.  Be a leader in offering to make this season less about gifts.  Imagine walking into your parents room and saying "this year can we do less gifts."  Besides them checking to see if you had a conussion they would be stunned!  This might sound opposite to what we have grown up doing, but honestly how many of us really remember the gifts we have gotten for Christmas.  Many of your parents are stressing about how to save money this Christmas without disappointing you.  How amazing would it be if we championed the fact that Christmas isn't about getting gifts, but is about God's gift to us?

I know that for many of you that read this, you feel a little torn.  You want to do these things, but you also hate the sacrifice that it will cause.  I really pray that you will consider how much our parents already sacrifice for us, that we remember that this season is about the sacrifice and gift of grace that God has given us, and that we maybe rebel a little against the society that is screaming for us to focus on us.

Mike Brook

Every school year held tons of hope for me.  There was the hope that my grades would improve, the hope that I would finally get my guts up to talk to the girl that I liked, the hope that my teachers were the coolest, the hope that the seagulls at my school would not poop on my head (yes even in Chino Hills there were seagulls at school), and honestly my biggest hope going into every year was that it was the year that everything came together.

Junior High was the toughest on me in terms of being picked on.  Other students were relentless with me about my acne, and my greasy hair, but I survived.  High School changed all of that though.  I wasn't worried about being picked on, but what I usually hoped changed was me.  I wanted to be different.  In high school I changed.  I was the jerk who picked on people, I was the one that craved attention, I was the guy who I really hated when I was in middle school.  The thing is that I always just thought that "I'll get better when I am older."  The problem with a someday attitude is that Someday is never today.

This school year you might start out with tons of hope for everything I listed above but I want to encourage you that you can change.  You can be the light on your campus.  You don't and shouldn't have an attitude of waiting to be older in order to have an impact.  My prayer for you is that this school year this verse maybe becomes the theme for your year:

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith
and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Know that you are being prayed for and that we love to support you.

Mike Brook

Welcome to the SSM San Clemente website and blog!  My name is Mike Brook and I am the Student Pastor for Saddleback Student Ministries in San Clemente.  I have been very excited for this website ever since our IT team began working on it a few months ago.   

I hope is that this blog is something useful for you as students, and helps you grow on your own.

We are so excited that you are checking us out and am excited for the possibilities of posting events, fun videos, and recaps as well as great things to think about throughout the week.

Mike