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Oct 13
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Lots Happening!

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America

There is a lot happening so far this school year in Upper East Tennessee!

Clubs in 36 Schools
25 Decisions for Jesus
Multiple New Club Launches

Let’s have a look!

  • Sevier County Junior High has launched with over 50 in attendance at their first meeting. 7 Students made the decision to give their lives to Jesus! Thank you Dominic, Connor and Kelsea for all your hard work to get this off the ground!
  • Tri-Cities Area Coordinator, Haley Wherry launched clubs at Church Hill Middle and Happy Valley High!
  • Cosby Middle and Cocke Co. High School have also launched.

Thank you to Daryl Crum, our new Area Coordinator Austin Hall, FBC Pastor Rich, Providence Pastor Stephen Neal and so many more who’ve made it happen. Also, a student at Parrottsville Elementary gave their life to Jesus!

Will you help us continue to launch new clubs so that more students hear the Gospel?

It takes 3 things…

  1. Faithful Financial Partners
  2. Fervent Prayers
  3. Focused Volunteers

Ask God what he would have you do and then send me an email.

I would love to talk with you.

Godspeed,

David North
davidnorth@firstpriority.club
District Director Upper East Tennessee
First Priority of America

Oct 10
Love0

Reaching God’s Children

By First Priority Of America, Podcast

Remember the first time you heard the Gospel? You probably felt a weight lift off of your shoulders or felt immense joy. The Good News can bring us all hope, whether we are already a believer or we’re just hearing it for the first time. We are called to live our lives in accordance with God’s will, but we are also called to testify to those who do not know Him.

Mark 13:10 states, “And the gospel must be preached to all nations.”

So what does it look like to share the Gospel? It is as simple as reaching out and telling someone about Jesus. You don’t need some elaborate plan to inform someone about what Jesus has done for you, and for them. When you have these little interactions, you are planting a seed for the Holy Spirit to come and work in their lives.

Think about the game of Telephone. And for those who do not know what that is, it is when a group of people gather in a circle and someone will whisper to a player a word or phrase. The word then gets passed through whispers all the way to the end of the circle. Sharing the Gospel can have the same effect. If we just tell one person about Jesus, they can go and share it with their friends or families. So let’s get out there and share the good news!

Shane and Natalie Kenney at First Priority of Permian Basin spoke at the First Priority San Antonio Luncheon. Both of them agreed that we need to reach students. It is time to start paving the way for students to be reached and know they are loved by God. To listen to more of what Shane and Natalie have to say, click the link to our podcast here.

This blog post was written by Kenley Kizer

Oct 06
Love0

Our Actions Have an Impact

By Podcast

When God calls his people, He calls them to take care of others. What we do for other believers, or even those who don’t know Him, has an impact on their lives. There are so many ways that we can show the love of God to others. Through our words and our actions, we have the ability to let the Holy Spirit work through us.

It is the season to start packing Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Operation Christmas Child gives people an opportunity to serve the Lord for children who need the joy of Jesus. We are called to make disciples of many nations, and this is one way to implant the seed of Jesus and His hope into children’s hearts.

Vanessa Mejia-Hutchison was 10 years old when she received a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child. Vanessa is from Honduras, and that year her parents were struggling financially. During school, she was made fun of for the socks she was wearing. Vanessa prayed for her parents to be able to get money for socks. Instead, she received a gift that changed her life. Her shoebox gave her the confirmation of the Lord’s love and assured her that Jesus was not going anywhere.

Today Vanessa is married and has a 16-month-old daughter. Because someone was willing to put their faith into action, Vanessa learned to put all her trust in Jesus. God can use the most simple thing we do to help others, and He can intercede to create a new student to His teachings.

To hear about Vanessa’s story and where she is now, tune into the podcast here.

This blog was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 29
Love0

Hope and Strength in the Face of Adversity: Lessons from James 1:12

By First Priority Of America, Podcast, Local FP Communities

When we are walking with God in life, there are times we can see His face shining upon us, and we know that life is good and He will be there for us when we need him. All we have to do is lean into Him and follow what He has commanded us to do. But what happens when things seem to not be going our way, and we feel as if spiritual warfare is all around us?

James 1:12 states, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

Recognize the moments in your life when things get hard. Seek Jesus and ask Him to help guide you in those times. He will not forsake the ones that love Him. He is willing to answer you and protect you! Jesus has come to give us strength and peace to continue living for Him. By battling our trials, His light will shine and we will be able to display where our Hope is found. Jesus is worthy of all our praise, whether we are facing good or bad times.

When reading scripture, you see that there are people who won’t recognize Jesus as who He is. However, every time Jesus interacts with a demonic force, they know immediately who Jesus is and the power He holds. When we go through a similar experience, never forget how capable Jesus is!

On this week’s podcast, Brad Schelling met with the Executive Director of FP ArkLaTex, Michael Butler. Michael shared with Brad that he has seen God working in his area, but he also can see spiritual warfare going around his clubs. He notices that there will be great gifts from the Lord in the clubs, but sometimes not everything goes as planned.

To hear more about Michael Butler and the clubs of the ArkLaTex area, click here.

This blog post was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 26
Love0

Embracing God’s Plan

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America, Podcast

Answering God is sometimes a difficult task, but being able to pray and differentiate His
voice from others is important. God will call you to follow His plans, and may even ask you to do things that make you uncomfortable, but no harm can come from following His will for your life.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 states, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the
LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’”

When we are seeking God, by calling out to him in prayer, we are allowing Him to use us as His vessel. His plans have never been to harm us or cause us hurt, but rather to teach us obedience and show us what good things may come from trusting Him.

Brad Schelling sits down in this week’s podcast to talk to Jacob Sharp. Jacob is the
Ministry Director of Rutherford Co. for First Priority of Greater Nashville. Jacob tells
listeners that he had prepared to say “YES!” to whatever God had planned for him next. Within the next day, he received a call asking if he was interested in being a First Priority campus coach at Rocky Fork Middle School.

Jacob was able to follow God’s voice and be an example of what obedience to the Lord
looks like– all because he was willing! If you would like to hear more about what God is doing in Jacob’s life, watch Brad Schelling and Jacob Sharp here.

 

This blog post was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 14
Love0

Cultivating Effective Church Partnerships

By First Priority Of America, FP Tools

Building a partnership with the church, especially as a faith-based non-profit, is vital. So what does a good church partnership look like? Let’s find out!

1. Church Connection:

Connection is the first step to building a solid relationship with the church. Meeting with them is always goal number 1, whether through a phone call or even swinging by their office. In order to have a partnership with the church, you have to engage with them and visit the church. Real connection is an interaction between you and the church, not just leaving a message or a business card. Find people to interact with at the church who will notice that First Priority has something to offer them!

2. Church Engagement:

Next, we want to see the church engaged. There needs to be a constructive movement into the partnership. What does it look like for the church and FP to walk into a school together? The church engagement should involve the congregation, who are ready to help walk alongside FP. Together they can be equipping students to lead in their schools, and providing the encouragement they need through the Gospel. FP is able to go into the church and help fan the flame by walking with students on how to understand their testimony and how to share it.

3. Church Partnership:

Partnership is when the tangible movement is in the school. When the words of Jesus are coming out of the mouths of students; that is the type of movement we are looking for. We want the clubs to be active and engaged, ready to share the hope of Jesus with those who don’t know Him– all with the help of the church.

4. Church Adoption:

The final goal is adoption from the church. For the students who did not grow up in a church family, that come to know Jesus at a FP Club, we want the churches partnered to become that for them. When Jesus steps into these kids’ lives, they will want a place to worship and potentially bring their families. By partnering with the church, they will know where to go and who will welcome them!

We want to see mission-oriented churches in partnership with FP to help leave legacies with First Priority and the people in their area, through connection, engagement, and partnership with FP.

If you’re interested in hearing more about this topic, listen to Brad Schelling and Steve Cherrico discuss this topic on the podcast here.

 

This post was written by Kenley Kizer

Sep 12
Love0

Fight or Flight

By Local FP Communities

We often use a football game as analogy for how First Priority is intended to work, with the Students Leaders being compared to the players on the field, adult volunteers as the Coaches for the clubs and the Faculty Sponsors as the referees. But what students face in their schools every day is not a game on an athletic field is it? It is spiritual warfare on a battlefield. And there is more at stake here than bragging rights and a pendant. We aren’t even two months into the school year and I have already heard multiple reports of students who gave up hope and ended their lives.

In the middle of all of this parents and students are making decisions about how they are going to deal with what is unfolding around them. Fight or Flight. These are the ONLY two options. Some parents make the hard decision to pull their kids from the public system and either home school or send them to a private school. But to the ones who feel called to stay I say take the fight to the enemy.

Reminds me of some lines from the movie “Lord Of The Rings”.

Aragorn to King Theoden upon learning that the enemy was just a days march away. “Ride out and meet them in battle!”

Theoden: “I will not risk open war.”

Aragorn: “Open war is upon you wether you would risk it or not.”

Fear and complacency keep many from engaging. But don’t be fooled, your Enemy knows where the battle is and is ALL IN.

Students are the ones who have the strategic position in the schools. They have a word of HOPE that their friends need and the freedom, for now, to share it. So Take Ground!

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
~2 Corinthians 10:3-4.

First Priority is opening multiple new fronts in this battle in several counties this Fall, with new clubs planning launches in Washington Co., Sevier Co., Johnson Co., Hawkins Co., Greene Co., and Cocke County.

First Priority students have responded, with one Student Leader sharing the Hope of Christ with 80 students who attended their club. Another First Priority Club partnered with a church for a tailgate party at their school’s big rival game and one Student Leader shared the Good News about Jesus to crowd of around 100 bystanders.

Have you asked God if He wants you to get involved with First Priority? Pause today, take minute to get still and quiet and ask God if He wants you to support this work.

Let me know what He says…

David North
TN1 District Director

May 19
Love0

A Sling and a Prayer

By Local FP Communities

Have you ever used the expression “…on a wing and a prayer” ? Do you ever wonder how these idioms get started and go back to look them up. Well I did just that this morning.

Turns out the expression originated during World War ll from the film “The Flying Tigers”  when one of the pilots lost one wing of his plane and was attempting to land on “just a wing and a prayer”.

When God is building our faith, He often puts us in situations where our resources appear to fall well short of the need. But He typically doesn’t just say, “all right, out of the way, I’ll handle this.” No. He requires that we make use of the little we have and then pray for Him to miraculously stretch it to meet the present need. He seems to prefer to take the little we have and multiply it, instead of creating something from nothing. Why?

I think it is because God wants us to partner with Him, work together. He wants a relationship. If you look back on the creation account in Genesis, it seems this was the last time God made something out of nothing. Once man entered the scene, God began to enlist him in everything He wanted to do on this earth.

Adam had a garden to work, Noah an arc to build, Moses had a stick and Esther had influence. You might recall a young shepherd boy soon to be king whom you might say was, “livin’ on a sling and a prayer.”

Too often, we think like Andrew when he was faced with a hungry crowd of thousands. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

We see our lack and assume God must not be asking anything of us. But that isn’t how God wants us to think. Quite often, the place of our insufficiency is exactly where God wants us to jump in.

Where do you feel you are already stretched too thin? Why not ask God if He wants to do something there. Is it time? Money? Maybe you think of yourself as the one talent guy in the parable. Here’s a tip. Don’t bury it!

Prayerfully consider if God is asking you to partner with Him in the work at First Priority. Good things continue to unfold! This school year we have seen over 150 decisions to follow Jesus!

So pick up your sling, give it a whirl, say a prayer and let’s see this GIANT of unbelief in our schools come tumbling down!

Sincerely,

David North

May 15
Love0

How Exciting!

By First Priority Of America

What an exciting school year we have had! So many stories of life change and students accepting Christ for the first time, as club numbers continue to grow.

We also announced on May 1st the two winners of the First Priority of America $500 leadership scholarship. They found out last week while recording a podcast with Brad Schelling, (podcast to come out later this month) that a donor wanted to increase this year’s scholarship. They were overjoyed to learn on the podcast that the scholarship they are to receive went from $500 to $5000!! God is good!! Here is a little more about each of the recipients.

 

Apr 17
Love0

Showers of Blessings in April

By Local FP Communities

Before diving into some April highlights, let me tell you a brief but true story of how the day sometimes goes working at First Priority.

Tuesday

  • First Priority guy ignores warning lights on his car dashboard, reasoning that they’re probably false alarms.

Wednesday

  • 6:15am – left house for 7:30am club meeting.
  • 6:45am – First Priority guy rethinks his theory about warning lights when car breaks down on the interstate.
  • 7:00am – Calls for tow truck and arranges transport with hopes of making an 11am club meeting.
  • 8:30am – Misses ZOOM call meeting trying to get a tow truck lined up.
  • 9:30am – Back up transportation arrives…but with a flat tire. Sheeesh.
  • 10:00am – The back up to the back up transportation arrives, but with an empty gas tank, seriously.
  • 10:05am – First Priority guy starts to wonder who doesn’t want him at these club meetings today.
  • 11:00am – First Priority guy arrives at 11am club to find record attendance but the speaker is sick and the Club Coach couldn’t make it either.
  • 11:05am – First Priority guy delivers on-the-spot Gospel message, realizes God gave him the illustrations he needed through the events of the morning, about not ignoring “warning lights” in your life.

Days like this can be a good reminder that God really does work all things together for good when we are committed to HIS purposes. Sometimes you just have to look for it a bit longer.

Now for the latest…

Chucky Doak HS had a record attendance meeting with 10 additional souls joining the normal FP crowd.

Sullivan Heights MS had a fantastic INVITE week with 12 salvations!

In Hawkins County over 100 students were introduced to the ministry of First Priority at a youth event called Fusion.

University High launches their club this month with the 8 trained students leading the way.

Little Milligan Elementary had two students respond to the Good News at their very first INVITE week while TA Duggar Intermediate followed up with two of their own.

We need your prayers. This is a critical time of year as we are identifying our student leaders and volunteers to carry on existing clubs and launch new ones for the upcoming school year.

That said, it takes resources to pull this off so please consider a monthly investment to First Priority as you review your giving priorities for the upcoming summer months.

Thank you for your faithfulness to this ministry!

Sincerely,

David North

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