Enjoy this guest blog post from our Young Adult Pastor Nick  Nilson:

It’s “ironic” that at the pinnacle of the NFL’s success and influence, when its ratings are the highest, a 24-year-old quarterback named Tim Tebow would arise as what media now calls the NFL’s most popular player. It’s ironic due to the fact that Tebow is a rookie who many thought would NEVER be a good NFL quarterback nor be lucky enough to see any success in that position. Whether you’re a football fan or not, you probably have heard of Tebow DUE to his success. But it’s not just his success, it’s HOW he is leading his team to victory….through mostly last minute, miraculous comebacks. But, there’s a BIGGER reason “buzz” has surrounded Tim Tebow. He’s passionate, bold and authentic about his faith in Jesus. You can catch him kneeling in prayer often throughout the game, thanking his Lord and Savior after the game and giving everyone else credit but himself. But TEBOW’s faith carries far beyond the sidelines of the football field, even to desolate places in the Philippines where he is building a children’s hospital to help the poor. It’s this ACTIVE, unselfish expression of faith that resides not just in Tim Tebow, but in this generation of young Christians. Playing an NFL game, making money or being popular doesn’t fulfill or define Tebow….his attention before and after games is giving one family, one person…HOPE. In a recent article, when asked WHY he would visit with a sick patient or meet with a special needs child RIGHT before game time, he was quoted… “It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”

The 20 and 30somethings in the church today want to make a difference not just play church, go through the motions and be happy about being on a membership list. The question to us is “how does my faith and what’s happening in my heart hit the pavement when I leave the church walls?”It’s as if to say ”I must EXPRESS the Hope of the Gospel, not just in word, but in DEED.” Tim Tebow inspires me not only to work harder and with more passion, but to look beyond myself to those who are hurting and need the HOPE that I carry.

I’m excited to be a part of a project coming up that will allow young adults from all over the country to EXPRESS the HOPE of the Gospel. “Generation Hope Project” is a 3-day service project designed to serve Washington, DC. April 28th, 2012 will be a historic night of Hope led by pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen in the Nationals Park baseball stadium where over 50,000 people will hear the Gospel…thousands for the first time! What an opportunity!!! This night alone will be unprecedented for our nation’s capital. But what if hundreds of young adults decided to take an extra step and physically EXPRESS that same hope? A city could HEAR and SEE the church in its beauty…loving and serving. Imagine young adults coming from all over the country, UNITING with local ministries in D.C. …to be the hands and feet of Jesus. No strings attached, nothing flashy or glamorous, just expressing tangibly the love of Jesus for 3 days. The goal is to bring life to playgrounds and schools, renovate a pregnancy center, build special needs classrooms, clean up neighborhoods, help establish a ministry that would love and feed the poor and more! YOU can be a part. If you’re a youth pastor or leader, we would love for your group to join us! There is a minimum of 18 years and older.

How is the city better because the church is in the midst? That’s the question we’re asking…and that’s the question we’re trying to answer. We can’t fix and do everything, but maybe with your help, your selfless faith and sweat…we could love a city to Jesus. Join us at www.generationhopeproject.com

Nick Nilson

Young Adult Pastor

Lakewood Church  Houston, TX