Free files for youth pastors:

Ryan Deetman – sermon on Jephthah (mp3)

Austin Haataja – Sermon on Barak (mp3)

Here’s the skinny on Ryan and Austin…senior and seventh grader who are already both awesome preacher’s of God’s Word!

Ryan Deetman is one of our graduating seniors.  Whenever I think of God truly doing something great in a student’s life through the ministry here, Ryan will always be one of the names that will come to my mind first.  I’m so thankful to have been able to watch God’s work in Ryan’s life through Christ.  Ryan has grown tremendously in Christ, he has been such a leader in our student ministry for others to watch how to walk with Christ, and he has been such a servant to everyone whoever needs help with anything.  He just loves people.  I’m not sure what God will do with Ryan’s life.  He may never be a youth pastor…even though I think he would make a great one.  He’s wants to go into the field of “forensic architecture.”  So unless he just wants prepare himself for all the different ways that the little arsenist middle schoolers can burn the church down…God is seemingly moving him into a secular field.  I’m great with that!  I just want him to do whatever God has created him to do.  Here’s what I do know about Ryan…he will be a great counselor for the rest of his life to other people becuase people love coming to him for answers.  He will be a great teacher some day in a Sunday school type format, or a discicpleship class, etc.  He loves to study the Word, he loves to talk about the Word, and he loves to help others understand the Word.  I am confident that any church in the future will be so thankful and blessed by God to have a Ryan Deetman serving in their congregation.  My prayer is that God will keep him here!

Austin Haataja is the youngest member of our KTL team.  This guy is just a 7th grader.  When he first came up to me and asked if he could be in KTL, I just saw the fire and the desire in his eyes to be with us guys, study God’s Word with us, grow with us, and learn how to live and communicate God’s Word better before others.  He has been so faithful to our class sessions.  I’ve appreciated him being around and a part of us so much.  He always listens with the intent to learn.  What I like about Austin is…he’s such a cool guy.  Everybody really loves to have him around, he’s always showing everyone the love of Christ, but at the same time he’s not afraid to speak up for Jesus!  I was honestly shocked when he agreed to do this practice-preach session with us since it was his first year in KTL.  But he came to all the classes, he listened, he did his work, he studied hard, he watched the other guys, etc.  Then when he got up to preach…he nailed it!  He truly understood his passage, he clearly communicated Christ, and he applied it strongly to everyone’s lives.  I can’t believe that he gets to continue in KTL for 5 more years (if God so chooses).  I can’t wait to see how God is going to use him as a sophomore, junior, senior, etc.  He truly has a heart for Christ, a passion for His Word, and I’m just stoked about future possibilities!