YM Resource: Invisible Bookshelf

Looking for a place to put those Bibles in the classroom? Or those information packets? Or that collection of cd's from the 80's? Look no further. Here is a fun idea for storing some of your stuff on the wall. It will also make a good project to work on with one or two of the students in the ministry, as well.



I want to do this, but I have to find the right place to put it first. I'll post pictures if/when I do it.

Psalm 33: we serve a BIG God

These verses, along with the rest of Psalm 33, remind us what a great/loving/powerful & BIG God we serve.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.

13-15 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth - he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

check out the entire chapter here or in your Bible at home.

New Poll: Which social networking site do you use more?

I'm working on an upcoming meeting/seminar about technology and teenagers. So I thought I'd ask you; youth workers, ministers, random people which sites you use more often? (now this will not be an exhaustive list, so if you can't find your site, leave a comment to let us know.


Which social networking site do you use more?

• Facebook
• Myspace
• Bebo
• mychurch.org
• holypal.com
• other
• I don't use them, they are evil

I know some of you, like me, use multiple sites to connect with people. Try to think of the one you use the most - if you could only check one today which one would it be.

If you have any stories (funny, inspiring, boring) about using a social networking site, leave a comment and share.

Poll Results: paper or plastic

People have spoken on which they prefer, paper or plastic. I must say, I was not surprised at the winner.

80% (4 people) voted for paper
20% (1 person) voted for plastic

Now, neither one is great for the environment. but I feel better with the paper myself.

lesson from the YM Summit

The Youth Ministry Summit at CCU has come and gone, but the lessons go on...


Take-aways:

Don't allow pressures to steal your soul, including...

1. Pressures from the church
2. Pressures to produce
3. Pressures for success
4. Normal desires of the flesh
5. Money

"Don't let the church squeeze you into it's mold."

When teaching, give yourself time to think about the text. Always have your radar on the lookout for illustrations, music, videos or whatever.

3 tips when teaching:

1. have a simple tag
2. give the students a story to be a part of
   
3. have a practical connection

Believe that your ministry is worth asking people to be a part of.

Frozen Grand Central Station & Mobile Desktop

two fun videos from improv everywhere.

to quote someone else: Dick Alexander (church conformity)

"Don't let the church squeeze you into it's mold."

spoken by Dick Alexander, at the YM Summit at CCU, during a message on 'How to stay in youth ministry and not lose your soul'

Does your church expect you to act/be a certain way? Do you feel you are not allowed to be yourself in your ministry? Is your church leadership expecting you to fit into their mold of what ministry should be like? Does the molding come from just the local congregation or the church as a whole?

What happens when you don't fit the mold?

Photo Friday: Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake: Before.

YM Resource: hulu: watch shows and movies

Apparently hulu.com has gone public. I've been using it in the beta version for some time (a few months) and have really enjoyed the variety of material. And they have added more movies to the site, now that it is public.

My biggest complaint would have to be the lack of full episodes for some of the newer shows. Some have many clips, but no episodes. Besides that, there is a bunch to find on the site. I would recommend taking a look at it. The biggest plus is the ability to watch a show when I want to, not necessarily when it is on TV.

I've even found a few clips from older shows that I am planning on using in ministry (whether it be a promo for an event or part of a lesson)

Trivia Wednesday #60: Vegetables

answer #59 - NY Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers

question #60 - The heart of which prickly vegetable is a delicacy?

Uniterian Universalism: Open Source Faith

While doing some research for a small group study on Uniterian Universalism, I came across this video. Its a message given by Rev. Christine Robinson of the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque.



Does this mean that if you like Open Source Software, you should be a Uniterian Universalist? If so, I'm going to rethink my liking of Open Source. :)

new NASA research and the early universe

Another article on the age of the universe.

Opening paragraph:

A treasure trove of data released by NASA this week is giving astronomers insight into what the universe is made up of and how it developed, including that it is awash in a sea of weightless sub-atomic particles.

Where is God in all that new info?

Lord's Prayer: Rewritten by jr. highers

A few weeks ago, in a lesson on God being a good and loving Father, we were talking about the Lord's Prayer and I asked the class to help me rewrite it in light of what we had just been talking about. Here is the jr. high version they came up with...

Father, who lives in Heaven
we will honor Your name
May You rule as the ruler of Your kingdom
May it come soon here on Earth
Your wants come true
for all of Your creation
Give us daily what we need
Forgive our messes
as we don't hold things against others
Protect us from things that will tempt us
and keep us safe from Satan

puts a different light to the verses.

New Poll: Paper of Plastic

It is an age old question asked in grocery stores across the country.

Paper or Plastic?

I'd love to hear your reasonings, too.

Grand Canyon is 17 million years old?

That is what this new research is saying. Interesting read, especially since I was just at the Creation Museum on Wednesday - and they have a whole section on the Grand Canyon.

Apparently new "research" is saying that one side of the canyon is 11m years older than people have thought. Not to even start that discussion...

Here is part of the article:

The findings: The western side of what is now the Grand Canyon started forming about 17 million years ago, and that initial erosion was fairly slow and steady — a couple of inches every thousand years.

The canyon formed not just downward and westward but it opened steadily to the east, too, through what geologists call "headward erosion," the team reports — until the western side cut through enough rock to meet water on the eastern side, around 5 to 6 million years ago.

and this:

While geologists point to some questions in the new research, overall it does fit with various theories about how the Grand Canyon formed, said Rebecca Fowler of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who also studies the Grand Canyon.

You might want to use this new study in a lesson on creation.

Poll Results: spring break trip

Well, it seems like no one reading this blog will be taking a group to do anything during spring break. No beach trips. No mission trips. Apparently no mall trips, either.

Here are the results from the question: are you planning a spring break trip with your students?

75% (3 people) just said no
25% (1 person) said there were too many different breaks

In any case, I hope you all have a great spring break (whenever it is).

Photo Friday: Inedible Tanker Truck

I took this picture a couple years ago. I just found the word "inedible" funny on the side of a tanker truck. I guess if it was full of milk, then it would be edible. But it still is funny to me.

Trivia Wednesday #59: Baseball World Series

answer #58 - red

question #59 - Which two baseball teams from the same city competed in the 1956 World Series?

life. love. pain.

This is a modified version of an article I wrote for the church's weekly Epistle back in January after my grandma passed away. I thought I'd share it with you all...

Life. Love. Pain. Three words that carry with them a lot of meaning. Meaning that changes over the years or through certain circumstances. Regardless of what they mean to you, these words are connected to memories and stir emotions.

Life. When I was younger, it meant getting to play anything I wanted to at any time. It has meant playing cars on the fireplace with my best friend. It has meant playing wiffle ball with the other kids on the street. More recently, it has meant playing cars and putting together puzzles with my two boys. It has also meant purposefully making time to do things with Amy.

Love. I like this word. It has been connected with Snoopy, Star Wars, and Full House. In high school, it was connected with anything from Third Day to golf. While I was dating Amy, love took on a new meaning (and became deeper). Today, my definition of love is still changing thanks to being married for 6 1/2 years and having two wonderful sons.

Pain. I don't like this word. I didn't like it when it was associated with falling down and scraping my knee. I didn't like it when it was associated with being picked last for the kickball game. I didn't like pain when it meant I was made fun of by other students. I didn't like it when it meant being far away from my family. I didn't like it when I sat at the breakfast table and got a call telling me my grandma had passed away.

Though I felt a lot of pain with my grandma's death, I know my grandpa experienced a deeper and more intense pain. I know this because I know how much he loved my grandma. They had spent their life together (65 years of marriage) and loved each other very deeply. My grandpa lost part of who he was when my grandma died. That is a pain I do not understand. But, I do understand that my grandpa would not give up the deep love to avoid the intense pain he is feeling.

This pain/love connection reminds me of another strong love which leads to intense pain: God's love for you. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus knew the pain would come, but he chose to experience it because of his deep love for you. His love led to his pain.

Do you love others, even knowing you will be hurt? John says in 1 John 4:11, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." Starting today, love one another. Your life will be richer because of it.

Youth Ministry Summit @ CCU 2008

On Thursday, March 6, I'll be at the Youth Ministry Summit on the campus of Cincinnati Christian University. I'll be taking notes and will post what I learn when I get back.

Reflections on: funerals

This past week, I attended two funerals in as many days. (there was another one that I was unable to attend this week, too) Before these two, the last funeral I was at was for my grandma a few months ago. With these funerals fresh in my mind, I have a few reflections I thought I would share.

Some reflections on funerals:

1. Words are difficult to come by.
2. You can tell a lot about a person's life at their funeral.
3. The loss of a loved one equals deep pain.
4. Even when you know your loved one is in a better place (Heaven), your joy for them is mixed with the pain of missing them.
5. Both funerals this week used Pr. 31 - I don't usually hear that passage at a funeral.
6. More comfort comes from God's Words than from anything a person can say.
7. Just being there is enough. One thing I experienced at my grandma's funeral was the power of presence (God's and those you love)
8. I don't remember much, if anything, of the message spoken at my grandma's funeral. And I'm ok with that.
9. Funerals, and the loss of a loved one, help remind us of the important things in life (God, family, friends)
10. As much as a funeral represents an end of a person's life on earth; it is much more a beginning of a life eternal.

A 3 year old and money

The other day, we were out shopping as a family. The had each gotten some money, so we told them they could spend it while we were out. The first place we went, that had toys, Wes picked up some sea creature toys. Nathan almost picked up some western toys. We told Nathan that we had a big day of shopping ahead of us and that he didn't have to get anything right away. He said he really liked them, so we got them. Then we told him that if he wanted to wait to open them, he could return them if he liked something else.

A little while later, we were at another store. Nathan wanted to look at the toys to see if there was anything he liked better. While in the car aisle, he found this truck and trailer set he really liked. So we told him if he got the truck then we'd have to take the western toys back. He wasn't too happy about it, but decided he wanted the truck. (We tried not to convince him to not get the truck and trailer, he already has toys like it and doesn't have many western toys.)

It was tough to not "make" him buy what we wanted him to buy.

Fast forward, just a bit, to the post-toy aisles. We were walking down the tool aisle and I could see that Nathan was getting upset. I knelt down to talk to him and he just started to cry. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he wanted to get truck, but still wanted the western toys. He even told me it was a hard decision. (at this point I started to tear up) I reassured him Amy and I knew it was a tough decision and wanted to help. We stood there in the aisle for at least 5 minutes. Near the end of our conversation, Nathan made this statement - "I want to get both of them, but I know I can't." He was really struggling with what he wanted and what he could get. And it was a struggle he had to figure out.

At that point, he decided on the truck. But ultimately, he ended up with a bike horn and construction set.

The whole process made me rethink my wants/desires. What Amy and I do with our money (how we spent it, what we spend it on...) is an example to our boys about money management. For Nathan and Wes, a lot of their spending and saving habits will come from watching Amy and I handle our money.

New Poll: Are you planning a spring break trip with your students?

With Spring Break right around the corner, lets find out how many people are planning a trip with their students.

Here are your options:

1. yes
2. no
3. they don't get a spring break
4. the dates for all the schools do not match up, so no

If you are taking a trip, let us know where to by leaving a comment.

Photo Friday: 228

its close to today's date. And it is otherwise known as the regularly scheduled last day of the month. :)

Poll Results: What lesson material do you use?

It seems like readers of this blog are prone to writing their own curriculum. That is, according to the poll from last week.

Everyone who voted (all 3 of you) said you write your own material.

I'll assume that at times you also use/modify curriculum on some level. Or you might if you have others who do a share of the teaching.

Discussion Starter: School suspends student for mohawk

An Ohio school suspends student for mohawk, after two warnings. Its a short article, but it says a lot about how some parents parent.

Listen to this quote from the end of the article:

Rather than request a hearing to appeal the suspension, Barile (the mom) said she'll enroll him at another school. Changing the hairstyle is not an option, she said.

"It's something that he really likes," Barile said. "When people hear Mohawk, they think it's long, it's spiked, it's crazy looking, and it's really not."

"Changing the hairstyle is not an option." Strong words. Is she taking it too far? Did the school go too far? I wonder what the boy thinks about all of this.

Use this to start discussion on respecting authority, rules, conforming, being different, facing a problem, running away from problems, outer appearance

Trivia Wednesday #58: One-Room school house

answer #57 - honey

question #58 - Most one-room school houses were painted which color?

SNL clip with one great piece of money management advice

Watch this clip. It has some good advice. Don't buy stuff you can't afford.

a weekend project to work on with one of your students

(I've been finding/hearing about a good number of fun Twitter apps and stuff lately and will most likely put a lot of them together in one post. But this one deserves a post of its own)


Are you looking for a good project to work on with one of the students in your ministry? Are you looking for something that will waste a lot of your time? If so, keep reading.

I don't do well with plants. I do not have a green thumb. In fact, we do not have any plants in our house right now, nor do we have any outside. Even with my shortcomings when it comes to keeping plants alive, I doubt I would go to this trouble.

Botanicalls.com has a DIY for getting your plant to send you a tweet on Twitter when it needs water and a thanks when you water it. Wow, it seems like a lot more work than just checking the soil every day or so with your finger. Here is a list of the stuff you need to do this:

1) awesome plant

PARTS:

(1) 2N2222A or 2N3904 transistor
(1) 100 ohm resistor

(1) 10K Ohm resistor

(1) LED

(2) galvanized nails, preferably hot dipped

(1) small breadboard

(1) Adafruit Xport shield

(1) XPort or Xport Direct

(1) Arduino USB board

(1) 9V DC power adapter

hook up wire in assorted colors

solder

USB A to B cable

USB A to miniB cable

USB Serial FTDI adapter (optional)

Ethernet cable

EQUIPMENT:

soldering iron

helping hands

computer with ZTerm or HyperTerminal, Arduino
Twitter account

Here is a picture of the final product. And remember if you have a few extra hours to waste this weekend, you'll want to try this DIY. Oh, and for those in youth ministry, don't forget to call one of your students to help you with this project (now that would be a memory they would never forget)

Or, if you don't want to go to all this trouble, here are a few other suggestions. Send yourself a weekly email to check your plants (via lettermelater.com). Or write a note. You could even just make sure each Monday you check your plants (add it to your todo list). But then again, I could just be too old-fashioned and reluctant to use technology to its fullest.

Teens Lie to their parents

Here is an article from the New Yorker on how teens learn to lie to their parents. Here is the first paragraph:

Kids lie early, often, and for all sorts of reasons—to avoid punishment, to bond with friends, to gain a sense of control. But now there’s a singular theory for one way this habit develops: They are just copying their parents.

Its an interesting article, well worth the time to read. Kind of makes you think about the example you are setting for the students in the youth ministry, or it should.


(gracias a PlanetWisdom)

Twitxr.com: add photos to your Twitter Tweets

twitxr.com is a place to upload pictures to Twitter. A fun little thing to add a bit of color (and sometimes explanation) to your Tweets. Its not too hard to set up. If you want the pictures to show up on twitter, you need to go to your settings and give twitxr permission (ie your twitter screenname and password).

It posts a link in your twitter update to your twitxr account. Though I'm having some trouble getting my text to show up along with the picture.

Photo Friday: Jesus and an Orange Car

I found this photo while going through some pictures on the computer this week. The car looks like my old '76 Pontiac Ventura (my had a soft top, though).

Quote of the Day: Texting

"I hate the talk on the cell phone. I don't like it when I have to call someone instead of texting them. The reason I have the phone is to text."

spoken by a student today during a conversation at lunch. I'm hearing statements like this from a lot of the students I talk to. It doesn't matter if it is a middle schooler or a high schooler - they are all on their phones texting. Are you hearing the same thing from your students?

123 Meme

Patti tagged me for this meme. I think it might actually be the first time I've been tagged for a meme. Here goes...

Here are the rules for this fun little bit of Internet foolishness:

• Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more (no cheating!)
• Find page 123
• Find the first five sentences
• Post the next three sentences
• Tag five people

I've got over a dozen books within arm reach right now. The closest one to me (being that it is on top of a stack) is Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die or (the eschatology of bluegrass) by David Crowder and Mike Hogan. (The title itself is 123 pages long)

Sentences 6-8

(Commence to animatedly slapping me, classic Ren & Stimpy style, while calling me an 'eediot.') Upon recovery, I would calmly smile, assert that everything is okay, that the real morsels of this little venture are still on their way, and then direct you to this lovely definition of bluegrass by author and historian Neil V. Rosenberg: Bluegrass is part of country music; it originated with Bill Monroe and his band, the Blue Grass Boys, during the 1940's.

Wow, that was odd. First, let me just say that spilled over onto page 124. Second, man there are some long sentences in this book. Third, let us talk about how sentence six is a parenthetical sentence which also ends the first paragraph. Then the seventh sentence runs over to the next page and doesn't really end because it leads into a multi-sentence quote. (though I counted it as a complete sentence) All that to say, those three sentences together make almost no sense.

This section is taken from the 4th part of the history of bluegrass, in a chapter called "Definitions and Transitions or Gettin' All Academic on Y'all"

I know those three sentences are causing you to want to go out and read the book. If not, wait for my review to show up on this blog. The reason its so close to me is that I've been meaning to write a review of it for a couple months - maybe this will spur me on to actually doing it.

Anyway, the last part is that I'm supposed to tag 5 other people. So I'll tag Jeremy, William, Dr. W, Ben, Mike

Trivia Wednesday #57: Ancient Egypt

answer #56 - Chicago Tribune

question #57 - To ward off evil spirits, newborn babies of ancient Egypt were fed - water, grape juice or honey?

to quote someone else: Gerald May (addictions)

"No matter how religious we may think we are, our addictions are always capable of usurping our concern for God."

taken from Addictions and Grace by Gerald May

A strong statement on the power of addictions; whether they are big or small. Its a great reminder to each of us to never let ourself think we are too "good" to fall victim.

New Poll: What lesson material do you use?

While I have been working on my upcoming Sunday School lessons, I started to wonder how you guys put your lessons together. Or better, what do you use for the material in your lessons? So that is the weekly question.

What lesson material do you use:

1. I write my own
2. We have a team that writes it
3. I use curriculum, exactly as it is written
4. I use curriculum, but I modify it to fit the class

Leave a comment and tell us the pros and cons to using a certain method. Have you used more than one and found one worked better for you? Does one method work better at certain times? Does it make a difference whether you are the one teaching or not?

Poll Results: Have you ever been part of a building program?

Not a lot of votes this time. But a good bit of helpful comments on the post. The results are still telling of the amount of building local congregations are a part of.

50% (2 people) have been involved as a minister
25% (1 person) has been involved, but not as a minister
25% (1 person) has not been involved in a building program

I'm a little surprised. Thanks for voting.

Howcast: a collection of how-to videos

Check out Howcast.

What is it? Here is an explanation from the site:

Founded by veterans of Google and YouTube, Howcast brings together the personality of user-generated content with the quality of a professional video studio to create engaging, informative, and free how-to videos for consumers. It also offers emerging filmmakers an opportunity to gain experience, exposure, and income. With high quality, compelling video content, Howcast opens new opportunities for viewers, video producers, content distributors, and advertisers.

There is quite a variety of videos on this site. You can find anything from cars, first aid (might be handy for the youth worker), gardening, house, kids, pets, holidays, and so many more. Here is one example: How to decorate your locker.




Some of the videos you may not want your students to watch. Like "How to sneak out of your house after curfew." "How to fake being sick."

Others are fun, "How to clean your braces." "How to shave your face." "How to house train your dog."

Know about traffic via twitter app Commuter Feed

Commuter Feed is a twitter application that you use to be notified of traffic in your area. Well, that is as long as you live in the areas on this list. If you do live in one of these areas, you can subscribe via twitter and update when you notice an accident or something affected traffic flow. Its worth a try for those who live in a bigger metro area. I don't think I'll need it in my small town of 2,000.

Youth Ministry Summit at CCU - March 6

YOUTH MINISTRY SUMMIT

BOOST Your Youth Ministry to Excellence
March 6, 2008, 9 am - 5:45 pm

Keynote Speaker:

Steve Carter (Mars Hill Bible Church, Grand Rapids, MI) - Speaking at the 10 a.m. chapel service, plus leading general session workshops: “Putting Together Dynamic Messages for Teens,” & “Recruiting Volunteers”

Other Youth Ministry Workshops led by:

Dick Alexander (Lifespring Christian Church, Cincinnati,OH)—“How to stay in youth ministry without losing your soul”

Michael Kast (Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY) “How to survive mistakes, blunders, slip-ups and temporary lapses of sanity.”

Adam Jones (Georgetown Church of Christ, Georgetown, OH), “Overhauling a student ministry.”

Mark Hancher (Kenwood Heights Christian Church, Louisville, KY) “Staff relationships”

Josh Lenon (Countryside Christian Church, Michigan City, IN) “Dealing with the highs and lows of adolescent relationship issues”

Costs: $49 ($59 after February 28, 2008)

Photo Friday: GloWorm

Enjoy this picture of a GloWorm. I think its a little bit artsy and a little bit scary. Did you ever have a GloWorm when you were little?

The struggling heart of a giver (1 of 3)

Our church is in a building expansion project. We have plans and have bids for building it. We just voted to continue with this project. I am excited about all of this and cannot wait to see how God is going to use the expansion in our community.

This will be the first building expansion campaign I have been apart of. My home church did one, after I left for college. The church I attended while in college did one, but I was gone for a lot of it (as it happened a lot over the summer). At my first full-time ministry we were in the beginning of an expansion/move/something when I left. So I've been involved with a few, from a distance. I've seen the benefits of an expansion. I've seen the difficulties that come with the process. But this part of the process has not weighed heavy on my heart. Like I said, I'm excited.

One thing has been heavy on my heart: the amount of money my family can (will) contribute to the expansion. We want to help as much as we can. I've been praying about it for at least 2 months (as I knew this day would come). A few weeks ago, the commitment cards were collected. I know you can give more or less than what you write down, but I didn't want to quickly write a number that can't be met or a number that is "easy" to reach.

Here is my struggle. For the weeks leading up to turning the cards in, I didn't feel like I had an answer to how much we can give over three years. The week before the cards were due, my wife and I sat down to talk more about it. I still didn't have an answer and felt a little frustrated that I didn't know. I felt (still do) particularly obligated to go big with my giving - I am the youth minister after all. I should have a lot of faith to step out and say "here's a months worth of grocery money." And have faith God will provide the food we needed.

I could not say that, though. I did not feel God was leading us to give up that kind of sacrifice. That is where my struggle was. I felt like I should have been able to do that. And I wanted to, at least part of me did. The other part of me wanted to be more practical. (more on the struggle in part 2)

Have you ever felt like you should be able to trust God more than you think you can?

The writer's strike is over

But does this mean we might start seeing less reality shows - I sure hope so.

In a few months we start seeing new episodes back on the air. Though not all of the shows will return. The Office will return! hehe

find The Office info here. Two important facts; the show will return April 10 and the first episode is titled Dinner Party.

Happy Valentine's Day Amy

I love you!

Trivia Wednesday #56: presidential election

answer #55 - 1,200 miles

question #56 -In 1948, which newspaper proclaimed Thomas Dewey winner over Harry Truman?

Need a tax deduction, try taking your brides as an exemption

Company Seeks Tax Exemption for Bribes

A company in JERUSALEM tried it. Here is the opening paragraph from the story:

Some companies request tax deductions for philanthropy, others for restaurants bills. But one Israeli business tried to push the envelope by asking to deduct nearly $860,000 it paid in kickbacks.

The court rejected it, thankfully. Read the rest of the story, here.

Jr. High overachiever, but at what

The other day, during class, I asked the students to write down some of their recent sins. I wanted them to be honest and open - knowing no one else was going to look at their paper. After thinking and writing for a little bit, they started stating how many they listed.

student 1 - I can only think of 3
student 2 - me too, that's all I got
student 3 - I've got 4. I'm an overachiever. (with enthusiasm in the voice)

This student wasn't thinking that having more sins than someone else may not be something to brag about.

Discussion Starter: car driven more than 1 mil miles

I thought we had driven a fair amount of miles in our Saturn (around 125,000). Well, this story puts me to shame.

Man's '91 Pickup Passes the 1M-Mile Mark

That is a lot of miles!

Use this story to spark discussion on dependability, regular check ups (just as important spiritually as they are mechanically), long term goals, staying focused, or reliability.

Would you still drive the church van if it had 1 mil miles?

New Poll: Have you ever been a part of a building program?

Due to the positive vote on Sunday, I am now part of a current building expansion program. To which I am really excited. I've been part of building programs before, sorta. My home church built on while I was in college. The church I went to in college built on, mostly during the summer while I was back home. My first ministry was in the process of building, but nothing happened beyond getting the rezoning for the land and then we were gone.

So, now I am in the beginning stages of what will be my first real building expansion program. I'm curious to how many of you, youth workers or others, who read this blog, have been involved with a building program. So that is my question.

Have you been a part of a building program?
Yes, as a minister
Yes, but not as a minister
No
Why would you want to build?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the whole process. Leave some hints, tips, advice, or whatever in the comments. Thanks

Poll Results: Would you rather be Bert or Ernie?

Well, the results are in and Bert gets no love - ok well a little.

25% (1 person) would rather be Bert
75% (3 people) would rather be Ernie

Maybe its the love of rubber duckies. Maybe its the pigeons. I don't know.

We're expanding our building!

Today was the vote of approval to continue with our building expansion project. This was the one to say the congregation agrees with the elders that spending X amount of money is what we want to do.

As a congregation, we voted to continue. I'm excited to watch this process stretch, challenge, encourage, push and help us reach the community. I know its going to be a benefit to the student ministry and children's ministry. As well as just about every other ministry in the church. (The new kitchen will be nice :))

Now, all that praying we did over 36 hours needs to continue each and every day. I am sure God has some really big stuff in store for us and now we're one step closer to watching it happen.

Youth Ministry Resource: Group Text Messaging

Disclaimer: I do not have text messaging on my cell phone. There are a lot of students who do have it, but I don't. So I do not text them. Therefore, I cannot test this to see how well it works.

There is a site called Swaggle. Their tagline: Group text messaging, on-the-fly coordination. Looks like a good way to send a number of texts out at the same time. You can set up multiple groups and send a message to just one group by specifying that group. Or it will go to the default group if you don't specify.

If you use this, let me know how it works.

How do you get a group text message out to your students? How do you get mass messages to your students other than texting?

36 Hours of Prayer

Tonight, we started 36 hours of prayer at the church. This is leading up to our vote on Sunday to continue with our building expansion. I am excited about this prayer time at the church building.

I get to pray twice tonight. Each slot is a 1/2 hour long. I am scheduled for 11pm and 3am. Not sure exactly why I picked two slots 4 hours apart in the middle of the night. Well, I know why - the 3am slot was still open so I thought I could fill it.

I can't wait to hear from others (and experience myself) what God teaches through this extended prayer time as a church.

Youth Ministry Resource: Dry-Erase Paint

I ran across this cool paint - its a dry-erase paint. You just paint it on like normal. It dries clear, so you still have the "look" you want on the wall. But you can write on it like a dry erase board.

I think it would be cool to have in a middle school or high school classroom. Depending on the size of the room, you could paint the entire wall or just a small section. Then you wouldn't need a dry-erase board or chalkboard. Even if you had a projector you used, you could still use this. Project your screen on the "dry-erase wall" and then you could mark up the screen. You could circle words, highlight points, draw funny faces. You could turn it into part of a game. Take a picture of one of the adults and project it onto the wall, then let students come up and "draw" on that picture (add facial hair, scars...) - then you could change the picture and see how the markings look.

Find more about it at dryerasemagic.com

What other uses can you think of for dry-erase paint in youth ministry?

Photo Friday: People Dec 1, 1980 Cover

I found this magazine in a bag of magazines I got from my grandpa's house. We needed some magazines for a collage project for Sunday School, so I took a bag full of People and a few Readers Digest. And in the midst of the covers about Britney going crazy and a number of celebrity babies, I found this gem. What a great cover!!

Maybe sometime I'll scan a few of the inside pages to put up. It truly is from the early 80's.

Notice the headline for the Kenny Rogers story, "Having made his millions, he's patching up his life." Now that shows us where our priorities should be: money first, personal life second.

Tips on Winter Events: When to Cancel

The longer you are in youth ministry, the more you will have to make that hard decision whether to cancel an event or trip due to bad weather. (You might have to cancel an event due to other circumstances, but we won't get into those now) When you have to cancel due to bad weather it is not always an easy decision, especially if its a matter of "what" the weather will do in a few hours.

Here are a few tips to consider next time you need to make that last minute decision:

1. Err on the side of safety. It will not always be the most popular decision, especially if it is a fun event. Knowing that you are not going to put their children in needless danger is reassuring to a parent and helps build on the trust they have in bringing their children to youth events.

2. Think through the entire event, not just the beginning. When it comes to bad weather, the changes can be quick and drastic. Make sure the roads will be safe not just at the beginning of the event, but also on the way home. No one wants to get stranded for a few hours while you wait for the road crews to make it safe to be on the roads again. Along with that, think about how far your students/parents will be driving and where they will be coming from to drop off and pick up.

3. Talk to your team. Make sure and communicate with the other adults who are involved with the event. Talk to your team and get their feelings. If anyone on your team feels hesitant about continuing then stop to consider why. Ultimately the decision comes down to the person in charge of said event, but this person shouldn't be making it alone.

4. Don't be afraid to hurt feeling - if you need to cancel; cancel. This goes with #1. There will be other concerts. You can go skiing again later. It is better to make sure you are being responsible and keeping your students safe than to risk it and regret it later. Do not let the decision be swayed by the emotions of the teenagers.

5. Have a backup plan or reschedule as soon as you can. This might be one of the tougher aspects of winter planning. Some events (ie. ski trip) need to be planned in advance and rescheduling is difficult, if not impossible. One option is to have a "make up" date on the calendar and publicize it as a rescheduled date if you have to cancel the first. This way parents can already have it on their calendar and can try to keep it open. The rescheduled date may not have the same attendance as the original, but if you announce it ahead of time you will see a higher number than otherwise.

6. Be Flexible. One thing I don't like about the winter is trying to plan events. One thing I have learned is the need to be flexible. Some events will be canceled at the last minute. Some will need to be modified or adjusted to fit. Some will continue as planned, but with less attendance. Some will not be affected at all. As a youth worker, you have to be willing to go with the flow and adjust as needed.

Remember youth ministry is about longevity, not short term.

How have your winter plans been affected by weather? What other tips do you have on deciding when to cancel or modify an event?

Trivia Wednesday #55: Geography

answer #54 - Moth

question #55 - How many miles from the North Pole is North America's northernmost settlement - 800, 1,200 or 1,500?

New Poll: Would you rather be Bert or Ernie

Which Sesame Street character would you rather be, Bert or Ernie? That is what I am wondering this week. Here are your poll options:

• Bert
• Ernie
• Neither
• I can't tell them apart

But beyond just voting in the poll, I'd love to hear (read) your reasons why you picked which one you did. Please leave a comment letting us know the reasoning behind your vote.

Poll Results: did you have a superbowl party?

It looks like all of the people who took the poll had a party. Which leads me to think that everyone had a party. That is a lot of pizza :)

The question, though, turned out to be where the party was held:

2 groups (28%) had the party at the church
5 groups (71%) had the party at someone's house

I've done both before and I prefer the feel you get at a person's house over the church. Not saying the church one's aren't fun (or that we will never do a church one). The church setting allows you to do different things you can't otherwise do - like more games. The one drawback is reception :)

Happy Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day. So, celebrate the groundhog's ability to see or not see his shadow.

Here are a few links to help you:

Official site of Punxsutawney, PA, Groundhog club

the "official" movie IMDB site

the wikipedia site

Kids' crafts and more

Happy Groundhog Day!

Jr. High Quotes of the week

"the 80's were a great time."

"one of his bugs was not even dead yet." (talking about someone's bug collection from last year)

-then they told me the conversation between teacher and student-
Teacher: You know one of your bugs isn't dead.
Student: Yeah, I know. I just put it in there this morning.

Photo Friday: Most Unwanted White Elephant Gift

No one wanted this for some reason.

Reflections on: winter weather

So this week was supposed to be super full and busy. Potentially there was something every night; with two games on Monday & Tuesday, small groups on Wednesday, Winter Jam concert on Thursday, 5th Quarter on Friday. It was going to be full, but it was going to be awesome!

So, I didn't go to the games on Monday/Tuesday because I was already going to be away from home 3 of the 5 evenings during the week. We needed some family time. So, those two days were good and the time spent together was much needed and helpful. (even though baby #3 is months away, this time with my 2 boys is going quickly)

Wednesday was full. Had an extended jr. high small group due to early dismissal.

Ah, then the winter weather hit today...

Tonight (Thursday) we were supposed to go to Winter Jam. But the bad weather started. Sleet, snow, ice, "wintry mix" and below freezing temps. So, we opted to be safe and not try to go.

Tomorrow (Friday) school is closed. This means that there will be no 5th Quarter. So there is another evening that is now open. Granted the weather may not be good, but it is still a major change in the planned week.

So, out of 5 nights of stuff we got 1.

This is why I don't like winter. It is so hard to plan. More accurately, it is so hard to predict the weather. Well, there will be other concerts and hopefully a rescheduling of 5th Quarter.

An even sadder thing is one of my youth ministry team leaders took off work tonight and tomorrow to make sure he could be at both events and neither one is going to happen.

What stories do you have of the winter weather altering your ministry plans/events?

Watch this recap video from Granger CC

Tim Stevens posted this video on his blog yesterday. It is worth the watch (4:49). This is the type of recap video I'd like to do for some youth ministry stuff. Here's a link to his post on it.

#3 is on the way!!!

My wife and I are expecting our third child in late July. :)

We don't know if it is a girl or boy, and we may not find out until the baby is delivered. We have two small boys - so a girl would help bring balance to our house.

I'm excited about this new change to our life and family. The boys keep talking about the baby (not sure if they understand its going to be a long time yet). My wife is excited, and hoping it goes quickly, and is hoping for a girl. This new addition has already meant changes for our family: a new minivan, boys moved up into the next bed size, and more "baby" stuff is showing up in the house.

I'm sure I'll post more as the time comes. Thanks for your prayers.

Trivia Wednesday #54: insects

answer #53 - True

question #54 - Which insect is often fatally mesmerized by bright light?

New Poll: Are you having a Super Bowl Party

There hasn't been any big super bowl party news this year. Maybe churches learned the rules last year (don't charge & don't show it on a TV bigger than 55 inches). Or maybe these churches just are not promoting it very much. Either way, I'm curious - are you hosting/having a Super Bowl Party this year.

Yes - at church
Yes - at someone's house
No

Poll Results: Old Food in the Church Kitchen

The voting is done, and hopefully a few "out of date" items have been thrown in the trash. :)

Seems like some churches are getting better at cleaning the kitchen out on a regular basis.

No one found anything less than 6 years out of date.
33% (1 person) has found something 6-8 years old
33% (1 person) has found something 9-10 years old
33% (1 person) has found something older than 10 years

Next time you use the church's kitchen, remember to help clean it up and not to put any extra in the back corner of a cabinet. Send it home with someone or give it to a soup kitchen.

Question about clothing and the Garden

The other night, my boys and I were reading the account of Adam and Eve for their bedtime story. Like all good scholars we ended up reading it from two different Bibles (both children's versions). After reading the account twice and talking about what happened my three year old asked me a very innocent question, to him. (but somewhat awkward to me) He asked why Adam and Eve didn't have any clothes on in the Garden.

I didn't really want to get into that conversation with him, so I made a few quick comments and then moved on.

I'm just hoping the issue doesn't come up again anytime soon.

Have you had that awkward moment with your children?

Photo of the Week: John Deere Lunchbox

Now, that's a lunch box!

First GodTube, now ChristianTube

The difference between GodTube and ChristianTube is that GodTube is up and running - and is actually a pretty decent site.

ChristianTube is not even up and they are asking for developers to help them get the site up and running. (would have thought this would have been taken care of before you bought the domain name)

We'll have to wait and see what happens. I'm not going to hold my breath.

Accidental Feedblitz deletions

I had some accidental deletions from Feedblitz subscriptions. So if you happen to see this and haven't gotten your email updates - know it was not intentional. Please take a few moments and sign up again. Thank you.

DayZLoop.com: site for teen girls

I heard about DayZLoop.com today and thought it looked pretty interesting. Think: a good site to let the teen girls in our ministries know about. It looks like a good place for teen girls to go online, unfortunately I can't see too much without becoming a member. All the stuff I can see on the home page looks good.

Have you ever heard of it before? Anyone know a teen girl who is a member?

I'm gonna pass it along to some of my parents and teen girls. Thought you might like to pass it along to your youth group girls.

Here is what there "about" page says,

DayZloop.com is the first online infotainment TV network covering all areas of a teen girl's life. This educational and fun environment provides an essential foundation for female youth to connect, learn, interact and have direct access to information, tools and tips that support, inspire and assist them to develop and build their self-esteem.

dayZloop.com covers a full range of topics: lifestyle, spirituality, finance, entertainment, interior design, and society. The content is provided by field experts and updated on a regular basis, incorporating subscribers' topic selection and feedback. This creates organic content growth, increasing the platform's value and relevance.

The content is delivered via online video mini-series, audio shows/podcasts, online discussions & forums; and, more standard means such as publishing and posting online news and articles.

to quote someone else: David Crowder & Mike Hogan (Hope)

"Hope placed in the future inadvertently brings hope into the present, in turn making the present tolerable"

taken from Everybody Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder & Mike Hogan

So true. I felt this when my grandma passed away a few weeks ago.

Trivia Wednesday #53: Olympics

answer #52 - pinch runner

question #53 - True or false? In the first Olympic games in 776 BC, only Greeks could participate?

"Christian Alternatives" to Facebook & Myspace

Out of curiosity, I decided to google "Christian social networking" to see what I would find in the realm of Christian alternatives to myspace and facebook. I was quite surprised with what I found (2,250,000 pages) in just a few minutes.

A few were very simple. One looked a lot like Myspace (can you find it).

Here is what I found in less than 5 minutes, meaning there are probably a ton more out there:


holypal "The premier Christian social network"



mychurch "is the best way for a church to build an online community."


Shoutlife "is a community / social networking website that offers free profiles with complete customization, unlimited photos, private/instant messaging, chat, blogging and more. Our goal is to provide a safe and clean, easy to use community environment with the features you love. At ShoutLife.com, you can connect with your friends as well as amazing music artists, authors, comedians, organizations and more."

5loaves "We are an emerging Christian community of diverse people connecting with one another to build friendships, share resources, nurture our families, and strengthen the global church."


christianspaces Everything (and I mean everything) on this page looks a lot like another social networking site I know of, but which one is it? Not sure what to think about this line from the front page, "101ChristianSpaces.com is a free Christian social networking site owned & run by genuine Christians!" Are other sites not run by genuine Christians?

mypraize - this is mostly a "Christian" music focused version of myspace



mygodlyplace "We are a new Christian MySpace Alternative website offering fun, games, quizzes, photos, photo rating, photo battles, groups, blogs, events, classifieds, polls, forums, IM, videos, music and just plain sharing our love for Jesus Christ as Christians. We are your Family Safe Alternative to MySpace/Hi5/Friendster/Etc. Signup now for FREE! Get your Free profile, edit it, add some photos, videos, music and be on your way to meeting new Christian Friends today!" But the part that made me chuckle was this next line "THE FIRST 10,000 TO SIGNUP ARE ENTERED TO WIN AN IPOD OR PS3...REGISTER NOW, IT'S FREE...GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS!!!"
They have merch you can buy, but not nearly as much as the last site - Xianz

myfaithconnects "is a fun place for Christians around the world to socialize and connect with each other. We offer a clean atmosphere for Christians of every denomination to express themselves, share their interests, and make new friends in the process."



fellowshipbuilder: Cultivating Christian community


Xianz
My favorite part of this site is all the merch you can buy. For instance you can buy a Framed Panel Print for $50 with Robbie D on it. Don't want that, how about a throw pillow or teddy bear. And so much more...








So, what do you do with all of these (and the many more out there) alternatives?
Do we ignore them and not join?
Do we join them all?
Do we join if one of our students is on that site?

Do your students even know about these alternatives? I'd be curious to take a poll with students in our ministries and see how many of them know there are "Christian alternatives" to Facebook, Myspace, Bebo,....

What do you think about all of these sites? Is it too much? Is the church trying too hard to stay away from the world? Is it a good alternative to keeping our students safer?

Free Prince Caspian Resources from Interlinc

Youth Ministry Ideas posted about some free resources being provided by Interlinc for the upcoming Prince Caspian movie. Check out the info here, and click on the bottom of the page to sign up.

All Jewish Social Networking Site - Koolanoo

It seems there is an all Jewish social networking site. Its Koolanoo.com

I must say two of the ads for it seem a bit violent for a Jewish social networking site.
The other one is just a little too edgy (think Carl Jr's Paris Hilton ad esque). They are definitely going for some viral marketing with their ads.

I don't think it is necessary to cross a line in order to get people to your site. You should have standards as a company. If I were Jewish, the ads themselves might keep me from joining the site.

Later today, I'll post about all the "Christian" social networking sites I found out of curiosity.

SNS taking steps to protect teens online

Found this article about social networking sites (myspace, facebook specifically) taking some steps to keep teens safe online and offline.

I don't think this is enough. Well, I don't even know if it is feasible. I hope it is a way to help protect underage kids from predators. Ultimately, the key is parents knowing what is going on and helping to monitor their children. The article says this:

He said the best way to protect children is educating them about the dangers. Because the teenagers who fall victim to online predators are often alienated from their parents, he said, education programs should directly target children ages 13 to 15.

Here is another excerpt from the article:

In a 2006, Finkelhor found that one in seven children are sexually solicited online and that one in 33 are aggressively solicited. In a separate study he found that, over a one-year period, between 2001 and 2002, there had been 1,000 cases where someone was arrested for sex crimes against a juvenile where the Internet played a role in the crime.

"I really think the attorneys generals did a great thing to step into this vacuum and get this conversation going," Finkelhor said.

But he also cautioned that fears of online predation might be overblown and that the dynamics of such cases are misunderstood.

There is little evidence, he said, that the Internet or online social networks have led to more cases of sexual assaults on children, despite the solicitations.

He noted that since the early 1990s the incidence of sex crimes against children has dropped by about half, despite a steady growth in Internet use.

Social Networking Site for Pets

Yakety Yak Pets is a site for your pets to connect with other pets. Really? My two dogs don't even want to associate with the cats next door, let alone a dog in CA.

Would you sign your pet up for this?

Tips on Starting the New Year Strong

Whether its the start of a calendar year or a school year, the need to start strong is the same. What does it take to begin strongly? Here are 5 ideas to think about when you start planning the new year.

1. Pray. Talk to God about what your group (and individual students) needs. Spend time praying about the spiritual health of the people involved in the ministry.

2. Have a direction in mind. Know where you want the group to move toward (this will come from your time spent praying). As a whole, where do you want them to be? Will the focus be on an upcoming missions trip? Do they need to learn more about their faith? Would it be best for you to do some outreach focused activities?

3. Plan with your team. Once you have spent time talking to God about your group and know where you want the group to go, get together with your youth ministry team. Share with them the direction and passion God has given you. Get their feedback and discuss what you can do to help the students get to the "point" you want them to. (This is definitely not a magic formula and God can always change things up or work however He wants to, but we can't sit back idly doing nothing either)

4. Place the big events on the calendar. (this is one I struggle with) Once you have the first few big events (one a quarter) scheduled, put them on the calendar. Then make sure the parents and students know the dates well in advance.

5. Be Present with the students. Now that the "big stuff" is done (well, you'll still be doing the details) you need to spend your time being present with the students. Go to their games, eat lunch with them, call them, write a note/email/text/IM/write on their wall. Use this time to listen to what God is doing in their life. Be an encouragement. Challenge them to go deeper. Help prepare them for what you feel God is going to be doing in their lives over the next few months.

What tips or ideas do you have for starting the new year strong?

Photo Friday: Glass Bottles

Glass Bottles on a Shelf.

40+ GIMP plugins

Now that you all have checked out Open Source programs and discovered (or already know about) GIMP for photos. Let me throw some more fun freebies at you...

Here is a list of 40+ GIMP plugins.

Though I doubt you could use them all, there are sure to be a few that will be beneficial to you (and your ministry) as you make better images and fun pictures.

a few of my favorites:
-Pandora (Make a panorama from multiple images.)
-DustCleaner (Detect and remove the dust spots in digital images.)
-Photo Effects (a bunch of efforts to help make some fun pics for a website, newsletter, etc)
-GimpPublishr (Publish images to Picassa and Flickr directly from inside GIMP.)

Now, go and make some good pictures even better.

Trivia Wednesday #52

answer #51 - 33,000

question #52 - What is the only way a baseball player can get to first base without ever stepping into the batter's box?

New Poll: What is the most out of date item found in your church's kitchen?

What is the most out of date item you have found in your church's kitchen?

- just a few months
- 1-2 years
- 3-5 years
- 6-8 years
- 9-10 years
- over 10 years
- don't know, no one wanted to get that close


Recently, while I was helping someone go through the kitchen, we found a big can of pudding and a smaller can of something else that were at least 9 years past "good". So really there is no telling how long they had been in the pantry.

Poll Results: Have you ever broke up a fight at a youth event?

The final round is over. A majority of you have never had to break up a fight at a youth event. That is good news :)

Here is the break down:
77% (7 people) have never had to break up a fight
22% (2 people) have broken up a fight

It seems most of us don't deal with physical fights, we just get all the emotional and non-physical arguments and tension.

Reflections on: vacation

My reflections on vacation:

Craziest - Saw a moped rider yesterday. Not too uncommon, until you notice he is carrying crutches on his moped. Makes me wonder if the moped had anything to do with the crutches. Wish I could have gotten a picture - because just thinking about it makes me chuckle.

Unexpected Goodness - non scheduled family time is awesome!

Responsibility - is van shopping on vacation still vacation?

Good Times - friendships grow deeper as the two friends mature. Having a longtime (lifelong) friend makes reconnecting that much easier.

Close, but not close enough - almost got to eat at Chipotle. But they were not open yet, just taking applications. My first impression of the building was that of a used car dealership. Its just a big metal box. Maybe next time I get back "home" I'll get to stop by and try it. (interesting sidenote, the new Chipotle is in the old location of one of my favorite seafood places - Long John Silver's)

Take away thought - you've got to make every minute count or you'll regret it afterward.

Non-negotiable - Spending some quality & quantity time with the family is much better than going to a fancy resort.

Everything by Lifehouse: Drama Format

I was told about this video over a month ago by a parent of one of the high schoolers. Its a good visual to show our struggle to let go of the world and hold onto Jesus.

Here is the version via GodTube...



or for those none GodTube users, here is the YouTube version...



They look (about) the same to me. :)

Free training for young church leaders by Jim Wideman

If you are under 30, a leader in your church, and would commit to praying for Jim Wideman once a week, you qualify for free training.

Jim's training called "The Club" is being offered for free to young guns. Go here to sign up.

Here is the description from the website:

“The Club” is a monthly audio leadership resource. Designed especially for children’s ministers and those who want to take advantage of over 30 years of children’s and family ministry experience without taking 30 years to learn it. Jim has been a proven leader and ministry pioneer during four decades. Since 1995 thousands of ministry leaders have taken advantage of challenging themselves to the bigger thinking and vision that “the club” provides each month. Each lesson is like having your own personal leadership coach to help you. You will learn organization, administration and leadership skills from someone who’s been there and done it with a proven track record of excellence in ministry.

(gracias a ChurchRelevance)

Photo Friday: Sunset

Sunset

Trivia Wednesday #51

answer #50 - 221,184 (you could have a whopper for every meal and still have a different meal)

question #51 - About how many miles is Alaska's coastline - 8,000, 16,000, or 33,000?

Warning labels: Common sense not required

Great Warning label contest.

Enjoy a good laugh with the Wacky Warning Label Contest.

Maybe we should do one of these based on "rules" in a church that were put into place thanks to the youth group.

If you've got a good one, let us know by commenting on this post...

Open Source Living: library of open source "sources"

Do you like open source products? Would you like to have a copy of Microsoft Office (well at least a program compatible) but don't like Office? Do you like free stuff?

Then Open Source Living is the site for you. Some of the "sources" may not be new to you, some of them might be. For some of you, it will all be new.

One thing I really like about the site is the ease of finding what I want. It is all categorized and easy to access.

Overnighter Tip: Shift Help

Even though I know a lot of youth ministers do not like overnighters (for various reasons), we still do them. There are some overnighters that are way too easy and fun to count as work. There are others that just drag on and on and on - which results in taking three days off just to recover. After having done my fair share of overnighters over the years, I have learned a few things. Through a series of posts, I would like to share some tips to think about when planning and participating in a youth overnighter.

Overnighter Tip: Shift Help
*Plan shifts for adults to sign up to help with.

One thing is for sure, getting an adult to help during the entire overnighter is difficult, at best. Most people do not function well on that little sleep. So this year we decided to try something new. We broke the evening up into five shifts. One shift started 30 minutes before the last one ended. This helped with the chance that someone was running late or just slept through.

We set it up so that I was there the entire night, for consistency. There were also a few others who split the night up and stayed a little longer. You need to have at least one person (depending on the size of the group) who knows what has happened and is a consistent figure throughout the night. And it doesn't have to be the youth minister!

I had never done this before and was a little hesitant when it was first mentioned. But I must say I was overwhelmed with how well it worked. It worked on many levels. For one, we were able to fill every spot (now the 4-7:30am spot was a little tough) with at least 2 adults. The students seemed to like the changes in adults. The adults were able to help without getting burnt out and overreacting due to being tired. This point was huge. After 7 hours straight it is easy for certain students to really start "getting to" an adult and this shorter shift schedule helped that not happen.

Here is an example breakdown, for a 7pm to 9am overnighter:
6:30-10:30pm
10-1:30am
1-4:30am
4-7:30am
7-9:30am

Have you done shifts at an overnighter? How did it go?

Photo Friday: dot com store sign

I saw this store front on a recent trip. It is not too often when I see store signs that contain the web address for any store.

New Poll: Have you ever had to break up a fight at a youth event?

Just curious...

Have you ever had to break up a fight at a youth event?

I personally have never broken up a fight.

If you have, leave a comment and explain.

Poll Results: Did you have a New Year overnighter?

Now that it is 2008, lets see how many of you had a overnighter to ring in the new year.

83% (5 people) did not get any sleep
16% (1 person) did get plenty of sleep

I for one had a great time (even without the sleep) at our overnighter. Thanks for giving up a peaceful evening at home. Until next year...

Trivia Wednesday #50

answer #49 - 2 (Mt & Lk)

question #50 - How many ways can you order a Whopper? (closest answer wins)

American Idol & the Robbie Seay Band

While I was watching the GA/HI game tonight I heard Rise from the Robbie Seay Band, but wasn't sure where it was coming from. Maybe it was from my iMac in the other room. It wasn't. It was coming from the TV. A commercial for the new season of American Idol uses the song. Pretty cool. Its my favorite song on the new CD & one of my least favorite TV shows :)

From the bands website:

21 Dec 2007
AMERICAN IDOL & RSB??
Friends. i know. i know. we're having a hard time believing it as well. i mean i've spent many a night trying to dance like Justin Guarini & sing like Ruben Studdard - neither worked out too well, mind you - but never dreamed we'd be a part of the new season in some small way. The fine folks at American Idol are playing RISE on their new commercials promoting the upcoming season starting in January - and we're thrilled about being a part of the ads! What? No my uncle does not work for Simon Cowell, why would you say that? anyway... seriously, you can see for your own eyes.. click on the link below: ...AMERICAN IDOL & RSB COMMERCIAL... Be on the lookout for the spots, airing on FOX (of course) throughout the holidays. There's even a moment when the band name and song title flash on the screen. crazy!