Today is Thanksgiving in Canada and I have so much to be thankful for in both my life and my ministry. So I just wanted to take a moment and thank some amazing people who have helped me get to and become the person I am.

THANK YOU Twyla: Almost 16 years ago an amazing person came into my life and chose to love me despite my perks and quirks. in 2003 we started a journey that would take us through LOTS of moves, adventures and our greatest journey being twin parents. There are so many moments along those 16 years that I doubted my ability, questioned my journey and wondered about my future. Through all of that Twyla has been my rock and partner in crime. Her support and love has never wavered and when I need her the most she  is always be there. Ready to tackle what ever challenge comes our way.

THANK YOU Ric: When I was 12 years old God brought Ric into my life. He pushed and pushed and pushed and when I final asked him why he cared so much he said “I love because Jesus loved me first and wants to love you today”. Those simple words change my life and God used Ric to transform my heart. I decided to go into ministry because i felt God calling me but also because I wanted to be like Ric. See I waned to give back to people what was given me and this October marks the start of my 18th year in Youth Ministry. That millstone is only possible because Ric chose to love and unlovable kid.

THANK YOU Students: In my office there is a box of student encouragement cards that now span almost two decades. Each cards contains a memory of a moment in time where God chose to cross my path with the path of a student. I don’t think I will ever know the extent of my impact on students, but their impact on my has literally shaped who I am today. God has used students time and time again to speak into my life. To challenge and encourage me. To push me to become better and reach a new levels. So much of what I do now and is a direct result of a lesson learned in the past. They say that the Youth Pastor makes the ministry. I think its more the Students make the Youth Pastor, and I will forever be grateful to every single student.

I am so thankful to the MANY pastors, teachers, friends, family, students, congregation Members and just random people that have each stop at some point in time to speak into my life. In many ways this is why I started Fresh Ministry Consulting. I wanted to honour those moments by doing what I could to give back to a new generation.

So with all my heart THANK YOU  

Jesse Criss