Bribing students to bring friends

Recently, I saw something online that disturbed me just a little. I was looking through random blogs with the keywords "student ministry" when I saw this title: iPod Challenge. I like iPods and I like challenges, but I didn't like this one.

This was a challenge where the winner of the new iPod was the first student to bring 10 friends to a certain weekly youth event. I have problems with this type of "evangelism" and "outreach."

In my opinion there is a better word for this type of reward challenge - bribery. And it is even worse when its announced from upfront. It sends a couple messages to both the regular students and those invited.

1. This event/program/service/group is not worth your time. There is not value in what we do.
2. The only reason you were invited is so your friend can win something.
3. You are just a number in our system.
4. We are more concerned about numbers than people.
5. If you join the youth group, you'll have a lot of chances to win stuff.
6. We're going to trick you into coming to our event, so we can talk to you about Jesus.


I do not have problems with incentives. But to me there is a line. In my mind, its like rewarding students for memorizing Scripture. It shows that the only reason to memorize is to get a prize. At a certain level (age) you can do an incentive program, but I think you need to stop it at some point. There has to be a transition in the reason students read their Bible or bring a friend. If you never transition from "reward system" to "internal motivation" you have done the student a grave disservice.

I just picture this conversation in my head:
regular student: Hey Susan, you want to come to youth group with me?
invited student: Sure, thanks for inviting me.
(participate in youth group)
invited student: So, what was that about a iPod challenge, how do I get one?
regular student: You just have to invite 10 friends to youth group
invited student: Wait a second, you invited me so you could win an iPod?

What are your thoughts? How do you handle this issue?

Relational Reminders

Almost 2 months ago, I said goodbye to the students at the church I was working at. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Being in town and not working at the church has been tough, especially since I live in a small town. I cannot go anywhere without running into a student or someone from the church.

Most of the adults ask about how we are doing and are concerned about us. Some of the conversations can get awkward if "church" comes up. A lot of the adults do not know what to say or how to act when that topic arrives. The students are a little different. They are concerned and ask about our life, but on a different level. Most of them just want to know if we are moving yet or how long we'll be in town. The students do not seem awkward talking about church stuff. They usually bring it up and share how things are going.

Within the last few weeks, our family has experienced some really cool things. We have had quite a few visitors to the house. A majority of these visitors are teens. They have been just stopping by to hang out. Some have brought stuff to show us. Some have stayed long enough to eat a meal with us. All of them feel at home. They know our house and know they are welcome to be relaxed and "at home" while they are here. Recently we had a full day of visitors. From 10am til 8pm there were visitors at our house (adults and teens).

These encounters have been relational reminders to me. Youth ministry is not about putting together the perfect lesson or talk. It is not about having the biggest crowd at an event. Youth ministry is about loving students and leading them closer to God! This involves lessons, camps, retreats, lunch, sports, concerts and anything else you can do with students.

Youth Ministers cannot make this sort of connection with every student. But each student should have that connection with an adult. The measure of the impact a youth ministry had on a student doesn't happen while that student is still in high school. Youth ministry is really a long-term ministry.

Are you willing to wait and trust God to mold your students?

Photo Friday: Bucket Full of Candy

This is all the candy we got at a parade recently. That is one full gallon ice cream bucket.

(Feel free to use the picture if you want, just let me know. Thanks)

Trivia Wednesday #78: St. Louis Cardinals

answer #77 - Red-billed Quelea

question #78 - Which St. Louis Cardinal shortstop was nicknamed "Wizard of Oz" by his fans?

Discussion Starter: Your Grocery Dollar

(Here is an interesting chart that compares inflation on 4 items: crude oil, fuel, food, and consumer price index)

The price of food, gas, houses, and everything else is sure to be a topic of discussion every time you get together. So what are you doing about it? Are you talking about it or ignoring it?



Spending a lot of cash at the grocery store these days? Ever wonder where your money is going?

According to the IL Farm Bureau, here is a breakdown of where your grocery dollar is going:

19 cents - farm value
38.5 cents - labor
8 cents - packaging
3.5 cents - other costs
4 cents - transportation
4 cents - advertising
3.5 cents - depreciation
3.5 cents - fuels and electricity
4 cents - rent
3.5 cents - business taxes
4.5 cents - before-tax-profits
2.5 cents - interest
1.5 cents - repairs

I'm a little surprised that depreciation costs 3.5 cents. I would have thought advertising and packaging would be higher. Any surprises for you?

Next you buy your grocery food, just remember where each dollar is going.

You can use this info when you are talking about money, shopping, food, consumerism, economy or anything related to food or money.

to quote someone else: Paul Pettit (parenting)

"It's in the day-to-day, run-of-the-mill activities of our life that we impact our children the most. Habits, routines, and heroes are made in the normal days, not at the annual visit to the theme park."

taken from dynamic dads: How to be a hero to your kids by Paul Pettit

Great advice to every dad out there. Raising your children should not be the responsibility of the mom. Make time for your family today. In the long-run, you'll be glad you did.

Photo Friday: Bricks

Just a picture of some bricks. Use it as you would like, if you want. (just let me know, thanks)

Poll Results: Promoting students to next grade

I asked when you promote students to the next grade and here is what you said...

66% (2 people) promote at the beginning of the summer
33% (1 person) say it fluctuates throughout the summer
0% (no one) promotes at the end of summer

New Poll: VBS & You

Summer means Vacation Bible School for most churches. As youth workers, this means that you are most likely involved in one way or another. Just how much involvement is the question this time around.

How much involvement do you have in VBS?
- in charge
- help plan
- teaching a class/leading an area
- helping where needed
- make my appearance then go home
- no involvement
- church isn't doing VBS

Answer according to the one that most fits your involvement. I know some of you are in charge and you also teach a class - your answer would be "in charge."

Have you had any really funny things happen at a VBS?

Discussion Starter: man sues Zondervan...

Read about the lawsuit here.

Look at this excerpt from the article:

Fowler alleges Zondervan's Bibles referring to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment."

The intent of the publisher was to design a religious, sacred document to reflect an individual opinion or a group's conclusion to cause "me or anyone who is a homosexual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination, episodes of hate, and physical violence ... including murder," Fowler wrote.

I heard on the radio that Zondervan stated one problem with the lawsuit is that they do not actually translate the text.

You could use this to talk about homosexuality, personal rights, sin, handling sin, how God views people, interacting with sinners, being a sinner, the Bible, hatred.

Trivia Wednesday #77: Most abundant bird

answer #76 - five

question #77 - Name the most abundant of all birds.

Item Usability in Youth Ministry

In youth ministry, you are always on the look out for new items you can use within your youth ministry. You become conditioned to see everyday options with youth ministry eyes. Can I use that? and Where can I make that fit? become the questions you constantly ask yourself. But not all items are ok for youth ministry. I thought I would share some of my thoughts on item usability in a youth ministry.

I think there are 4 categories of item usability in youth ministry.

1 - usable, all the time
2 - usable, but its a stretch
3 - usable, but not wise
4 - unusable

I'm talking about anything from a bar of soap to a theme from the latest #1 single. Let me give you a few examples for each group.

1 - bandages, pens, soda, candy bars, old t-shirts (granted they don't say or promote anything you don't want to), bouncy balls, themes from current movies

2 - "your momma" jokes, Sunday School lessons written in the '60's, Carmen music videos, laxatives

3 - Rated "R" movies, most stand-up comedian CD's (foul language), old bandages, curriculum geared toward 3rd graders, a personal illustration taken from a current 7th grade girl's personal diary (added by my wife)

4 - pornography, alcohol, bow and arrows (as punishment), anything explosive as an object lesson, "me vs. them" mentality


What item did I miss? What do you think? Add your thoughts and advice (esp. if learned from personal experience) to the list.

Photo Friday: Fireworks with silhouette

Watching the fireworks earlier this week.

Youth Ministry through the Judges: Shamgar

The third judge over Israel was Shamgar. What can we learn from him in reference to youth ministry? Here are some thoughts...

Shamgar (Judges 3.31)

"After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel." (3.31) & "In the days of Shamgar son of Anath" (5.6 in Deborah's song)

• "After Ehud came Shamgar" - this phrase makes me think about younger siblings. "After Eric came Joni." Eric is the star athlete, gets good grades and is liked by everyone. Oh the shoes that Joni has to fill! No matter what you do, it is hard to measure up. A lot of younger siblings get lost in the mix. They go virtually unnoticed. I'm not saying you (the youth worker) do not acknowledge them or give them responsibility. I'm saying that a lot of times the younger sibling gets lost in the shadow of the older sibling. They never get to be who they are, apart from big brother or sister. Be careful not to just lump in younger siblings with their older siblings and expect them to be similar.
  
• When asked who Shamgar was, most people would not know he was a judge. You might say he is not well known and went unseen. Reminds me of a lot of teenagers I know. Many teenagers go unnoticed. Even when they do great things, it is tough for them to get noticed. (Isn't it strange that the teens who are labeled bad get remembered more often?)
  
• There doesn't appear to have been a time of struggle and rebellion for the people of Israel between Ehud and Shamgar. Youth ministry can happen without fights and struggles, at least for a period of time.
  
• We know very little about him. Many times we feel this way about the teens we work with. You can spend an hour talking to a teen and not learn anything about them. To go beyond surface level conversation takes initiation by you. You have to be purposeful about asking questions and listening to what is said (and not said) if you want to get to know the students better.
  
• Look at the account of Deborah beginning in Judges 4.1, "After Ehud died." What about Shamgar? Why overlook him? Funny how we often forget (ignore?) certain people like they were never there. Have you done that to a student in your ministry before?
  

next up Deborah

(go to YM Lessons from Judges to find more)

Trivia Wednesday #76: Torah

answer #75 - 2 million

question #76 - How many books are there in the Torah - four, five or six?

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder and Mike Hogan

Death & Hope. Those are the two words I would use to describe the basis of this book. The title of the book (and title of a great song) summarizes a great struggle people have. Getting to Heaven is the goal for most people. Yet, these same people are terrified of death.

Every author has a writing style and language. Everybody wants to go to Heaven is very conversational. Crowder and Hogan are very personable and open as they write and interact throughout the book. Even the layout of the book lends itself to casual conversation. And this is the greatest part of the book, its ability to wrap you up in its context. As you are entangled in this conversation, you forget that you are reading a book and believe that in fact you are in a conversation with the authors about the pain of death and the hope of Heaven.

If you have ever experienced pain from a lose of a loved one, you need to read this book. You may not like bluegrass music, but that is okay (you do not like death either). Crowder and Hogan allow the reader to peak into their emotions and watch them struggle through pain and grief. Throughout these pages, you are drawn into an open soul-searching discussion about what makes death so difficult and how to overcome.

Overcoming pain is not easy, but it is possible. By interweaving stories, personal accounts, Scripture, expert opinions and this section called "columns" the authors have been able to walk the readers through a process of discovery. This process of discovery culminates with an understanding of the hope that can be found in Christ. This hope brings about a paradox. "Hope placed in the future inadvertently brings hope into the present, in turn making the present tolerable."

No other book discusses the topic of death quite like Everybody wants to go to Heaven. You will be encouraged. You will grow. You will look at death and dying from a different perspective.

My advice (rating) – go out and buy it (4 out of 5)



(As I was reading, I came across this fun page. I had forgotten that when I bought the book David Crowder, Mike Hogan and Toni Crowder were kind enough to sign in one of the IM conversation pages. Fun times)

Curious Eyes of a Child

Today, during service I was caught by the wonder in my son's eyes. As he was sitting on my lap, he just kept looking around. He watched the people behind us, in front of us and next to us. He was so curious to see what people were doing. He was not disruptive. He was not drawing attention to himself. He just wanted to know what people were doing.

His curiosity got me thinking about my own curiosity and wonder. There are a lot of times in my life where I become so used to how things are that I do not even think about them. How many times do I go with traditions and not think about them?

Today I was encouraged by my son (through watching his actions) to not lose my curiosity and wonder. May I encourage you to do the same. Watch and listen. Do not stop asking questions. Keep both eyes open and do not move through life on autopilot.

Photo Friday: Sunset in a Tent

This was our view from our backyard camping adventure.

3 Reasons to read a blog

As best as I can determine, there are 3 main reasons to read a blog.

1. Personal connection
The first reason to read a blog is because you know the person writing it. Whether its a family member, coworker, friend, or a neighbor you want to know what they are thinking. You want to know what is going on in their life. You enjoy seeing the pictures and reading the funny stories. It doesn't matter if they post daily, weekly or monthly.

2. Great content
The second reason to read a blog is because you enjoy the content. Most of the time you do not personally know the author of the blog. The content will: encourage, challenge, make you think, cause you to laugh, provide help or just be enjoyable. It does not have to have quotable content every day, but it does happen regularly.

3. High Profile Author
The third reason to read a blog is because the person writing it is a big name. You know about and respect the company they work for. You may not know about the person's character, integrity or work ethics. You read solely because of the high profile status of the author. This might even keep you reading the blog despite a lack of quality. You will read it to keep up with what "everyone else" is talking about or reading. Content can be anywhere from questionable to excellent.


What other reasons do you have to read a blog?

Job Search Tips: Do you really want the job?

Everybody wants a job. No, let me rephrase that. Everybody wants to have an income which comes from having a job. But what job do we want?

Allow me to share 2 quick tips on job hunting. Both of these tips deal with showing your potential employer that you really want to have the job they are offering.

1. Dress appropriately (for the job).
Do not show up for an interview in cut off shorts and flip-flops. That is only acceptable if the boss wears that to work. If you are applying for an office job, wear something better than you would on an average day in the office. If you are applying to be the bat boy for the Cubs, you don't need to dress in a suit.

2. Pick a job that is right for you.
Apply for a job in a field you are interested and capable in. You will not do well in a computer design job if you do not like computers. You will not last in a ministry job if you do not like people. Do not just apply to a job because it pays well or its in your area - make sure you really want to work there. Remember, hopefully you will be spending many years in this job.


I will give you two real-life examples to help show my point. A friend told me they knew a guy who wore a sleeveless shirt, cutoff jeans and flip flops when applying to work in a factory type job. I know of another person who applied to work in a lumber yard, but they were allergic to wood. It just doesn't fit.

Trivia Wednesday #75: Color

answer #74 - Pacific Princess

question #75 - The human eye can distinguish between _________ different colors.
(64, 1000, 2 mil, 1 bil)

New Poll: Promoting to the next grade

With summer in full swing, I thought I'd see when you promote your students. When do they go from 6th to 7th grade within the youth ministry?

When do you promote your students?
- at the beginning of summer
- they stay in same grade, but can be involved in older group
- at the end of summer

Have you found one way works better for you? Why?

Poll Results: Summer vacation

With summer in full swing, here are the results from the summer vacation poll:

As a youth worker, when do you take your summer vacation?

42% (3 people) don't take summer vacations
14% (1 person) takes it before summer starts
28% (2 people) take it during the middle of summer
14% (1 person) takes it after summer is over
0% take it a few days here a few days there

I hope you have a great summer of ministry. I also hope you have a chance to relax a little and enjoy some of it, too.

Fun church signs

Over the last couple weeks, I have seen a few fun church signs. And though I don't have pictures I wanted to share the fun with you. Here are two of them I remember:


1. Need directions?
Follow Jesus.


2. Tomorrow's forecast:
God will reign and the Son will shine.

Youth Ministry through the Judges: Ehud

The second judge in Israel's history was Ehud, the left-handed. Here are some thoughts/lessons from a youth ministry perspective:

Ehud (Judges 3.12-30)

• the key phrase throughout Judges appears in v. 12, "Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD." I am always amazed at how often the people of Israel slipped back into sin and disobedience. Then I look at my life and remember I do the same thing. So do you and so do the students you work with. It would not be hard to replace "Israelites" with a student's name: "Once again ___________ did evil in the eyes of the LORD."
• After having peace for 40 years, they forgot about God and ended up in slavery for 18 years. Teens do the same thing. It might be days, weeks, months or years. They go without struggle or crisis for some period of time and begin to neglect/forget what God has done for them. Often, it is during the easy periods of life that teens do not depend on God.
• Ehud is pretty sneaky. Since he is left-handed (not normal for those days) he can put the double-edged sword on his right leg and no one will look for it. This gives him an opportunity to sneak it in past the guards. This is like how people sneak candy into a movie theater using a purse or winter jacket. (Just take a poll of your students and I would say at least 90% have snuck something into a movie.)
• I do not know too many teens who do not like v. 22. "Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it." This verse will always get their attention in class.
• Whenever you are on a youth trip involving a restroom break, remember this one piece of advice. Learn from the servants of the king in Judges 3.24-25.
  
• Ehud brought the people of Israel peace (being used by God, of course) because he was willing to take a chance. He was willing to risk his life to take the "message" (v. 19-20) to the king. Teenagers are willing to take chances. They are willing to risk embarrassment. They are willing to risk being outcast. They are willing to risk giving up free time. They are willing to risk for something they believe in. Teenagers are going to change the world because they are not afraid to be different.
  

Next up, Shamgar.

(go to YM lessons from Judges to find others)

Photo Friday: evil cat eyes

Cats are evil and this picture proves it. See how their eyes glow funny.

I don't really think cats are evil, I just thought this was an interesting picture.

Reflections on: backyard camping

Last night was a first for the family. We had a backyard campout with the boys. It was as close to a perfect evening as I've ever seen for a camping adventure (minus a few non-nature issues). The temp. was high 60's. There were few clouds, if any. The moon was full.

In the afternoon the tent got set up, which helped make it a little easier. After dinner we got all of the boys' things together and our sleeping bags and set up inside the tent. We took out a few of their games to play and had a snack in the tent. It was pretty fun, and special, to do that as a family. After the games, we read our Bible stories and got ready for bed. (At this point, it was well past bedtime for them)

Amy and I tried playing some Boggle up on the deck until the boys fell asleep. But that didn't happen, because they wouldn't fall asleep. I think it was a bit too bright (with the full moon) outside for them to feel like it was bedtime. Plus, we do not live very far from the city ball fields. Last night one of the jr. high age games lasted until around 11:30pm. It is hard to fall asleep with the noise of a baseball game in the background.

Eventually we all fell asleep and woke up at 6:30 - thanks to the sunrise.

As a dad, it was a great night of fun, laughs and memories. Going camping in the backyard is the type of thing I want to never stop doing with my boys. It might be a lot of "work" to set up and get ready, but its worth every minute. Time with my boys is going to go by so quickly.

I'm not sure what things you do with your family (if you are a youth worker and have a family), but I hope you are doing things. Special things. Memory making things. Fun things. Silly things. Out of the normal things. Take some time out of your busy schedule and plan (or just do it spontaneously) to do some stuff just with your family.

The same applies to youth ministry. There are many things a youth worker has to do throughout the year. During the summer, one of those things is spend time with students. Do things that have one purpose - spending time with students. Spending time with students does not always have to be about teaching or lesson focused. Do some fun events. Hang out at the park. Go fishing. Play some ball. Sit and watch others play sports.

Trivia Wednesday #74: The Love Boat

answer #73 - Murphy

questions #74 - Name the boat on TV's The Love Boat.

Jr. High Questions: your thoughts

Here are some great questions from jr. highers...

Why are temptations so hard to ignore?
Why is God so big?
Do my friends even care about me?
Why do people act different at school than they do at home or church?

How would you answer them? And I don't mean just the "textbook answer" but a real life answer. You know the difference, don't you. The first is the answer you would use if this were an assignment for a youth ministry class. The second is the one you give to the student sitting across from you, the student who doesn't need a quick fix.

I'd love to hear some of your thoughts. I'll post my thoughts/answers later, but I wanted to put these questions out there to hear what other wisdom there is out there.

Fatherhood: from 2 perspectives

Fatherhood. Its such a great word. Its also a scary word. For me, fatherhood represents the highest form of accountability and responsibility. As a father, you have a big job description.

A few of the duties included with fatherhood;
- teaching your children about God
- teaching your children about life
- being an example of being a man
- teaching your children about how to treat others (esp. women) with respect
- modeling a humble faith in God as Lord and Savior
- loving your children

Most men learn a majority of what they know about being a dad from their father. I am one of those men; my dad has taught me many things about fatherhood.

5 Fatherhood lessons learned from my dad:
1. Pray for your children. Pray often and specific.
2. Teach your children to appreciate and know God's Word.
3. Spend time with your children playing sports.
4. You do not have to have all the answers to be a great dad.
5. Even dads need to say "I'm sorry" sometimes.

The second place I learn about fatherhood includs hands-on training. I'm learning about being a dad from being a dad.

5 Fatherhood lessons learned from my children:
1. It is worth a project taking longer when you let your children help you.
2. Your children are a certain age, treat them like such. (don't expect them to be 13, when they are 8. Don't talk to them like their 4 when they are 15)
3. Model how you want your children to live, because they are watching you. And they will repeat what you do.
4. Celebrate accomplishments and milestones, no matter how small they seem to you.
5. Flexibility is part of the job.


As a dad, I'm striving to be better. Every day I learn something new. One thing I try to do with my boys is make them feel special every day. I want them to grow up knowing how much they mean to me (and Amy). But even beyond that, I want them to know that God loves them more than I ever could. Being a dad is a huge responsibility, but its an even bigger honor. God has blessed men with the privilege of leading their family. Being able to help shape a child's view of the world, of God, of family, of love - now that's something you shouldn't take lightly.

What are some lessons you've learned about fatherhood? If you're a wife/mom, what advice would you give to fathers?

Photo Friday: St. Louis Arch

The St. Louis Arch is a bit overwhelming when you stand at the bottom and look up to the top of the 600 foot structure.

Trivia Wednesday #73: beds

answer #72 - goat

question #73 - Which kind of bed folds inside a closet?

A dad has many jobs through the years

As a dad, you have to wear many hats. And over the years, those hats change. Here is a quick look at how a dad's many jobs change over the course of being a dad (of at least what I imagine)...

When you have a toddler:
- toy repairman
- toy car mechanic
- financial planner
- story teller
- cartoon expert
- monster fighter
- comforter
- superman

When you have elementary age:
- math expert
- homework coach
- chauffeur
- wrestling opponent
- friend adviser
- financial adviser
- ball team coach

When you have a teenager:
- chauffeur
- relationship expert
- money tree
- rule enforcer
- college/career adviser
- car mechanic
- listener

Even though a dad's duties with his children changes over the years, I think there are a few things that never change.
1. Always love your wife. Model it to your children.
2. Show your children grace. It will teach them about God's grace.
3. Love, love, love.
4. Always keep the communication lines open. Listen more than you talk.
5. Pray every day for your children.

What would you add to the list of jobs a dad has over the years?

My top 10 favorite films

I was tagged by Dennis to list my top 10 favorite movies. Here they are:

1. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (a Wookie & Ewoks, do I have to say more?)
2. The Truman Show (reality TV, before there was reality TV)
3. LOTR: Return of the King (great battle scenes)
4. March of the Penguins (I love penguins)
5. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (some great, thoughtful moments)
6. Groundhog Day (or did I already say that?)
7. X-Men (all 3, plus hopefully Wolverine when it comes out)
8. UHF (classic stuff)
9. Jesus Camp (see my thoughts here)
10. The Princess Bride (inconceivable if anyone hasn't seen this one)

The rules:

1. List your top ten favorite films (in no particular order).
2. If you’re tagged, you’ve got to post and tag 3-5 other people.
3. Give a tag back (some link love) to the one who tagged you in your post
4. Give a hat tip (HT) to Dan

I'll tag:
1. Jeremy
2. Brad
3. Jason
4. Tim
5. Chris

New Poll: Summer Vacation

The last poll was about your day off during the summer. This time, I'm curious as to how you handle vacation during the summer. The summer is a very full part of a youth workers year. And this can make it difficult to take a vacation (even a small one).

When do you take summer vacation?
- I don't
- before summer starts
- in the middle of summer
- after summer is over
- a few days here, a few days there

In the past, I've taken my vacation sometime in the middle of the summer. It has to be an off week, as to not miss a big event. But this has helped me not be completely drained when the summer months are over.

What are you thoughts? What are the advantages to taking a vacation before, after or during summer?

Poll Results: Off day during the summer

It seems like a few people took an off day from voting on the poll.

So, what does your off day look like during the summer?
33% (1 person) take their normal off day
66% (2 people) take an off day, but it varies from week to week

I hope this summer you get to enjoy some rest with all that ministry you are doing.

Photo Friday: Penguin

I love penguins.

to quote someone else: Mark Atteberry (Jesus' love)

"We can avoid, defy, elude, evade, rebuff, resist, or reject him (Jesus), but it doesn't change the way he feels about us. Nor does it diminish his desire to bless us."

taken from free refill by Mark Atteberry

Today, remember that there is nothing you can do to make Jesus love you less. Enjoy knowing how much Jesus loves you!

Trivia Wednesday #72: Joseph's brothers

answer #71 - Daryl Hannah

question #72 - To cover his coat with blood, Joseph's brother slew which kind of animal - a cow, goat or sheep?

Visual thought on losing your job (or mowing your lawn)

About sums it up for me.









(gracias a indexed)

Photo Friday: Old Park Bench

An old bench. You can tell it has seen better days.

Trivia Wednesday #71: Splash

answer #70 - The Tomorrow Show

question #71 - Who played the mermaid in the film Splash?

Dog Litter

I got this coupon/flyer in a bag of dog food recently. I found it strange.

A few thoughts:
1. I like the blurred face on the dog, it definitely hides the identity of the dog.
2. Its a dog with an attitude.
3. Its called "secondnature" for a reason. The first nature is to go outside and use the bathroom.
4. Just wow.


If you know anyone who uses this, or you use it yourself, please leave a comment and tell me why.

Youth Ministry through the Judges: Othniel

As I have been reading through the book of Judges, I am drawn to the lessons we can learn. Reading about the cycle the Israelites kept going through reminds me of myself. It reminds me of the students I work with and the adults I know, too. I thought I would go through each of the judges and share my thoughts on them, from a youth ministry perspective. First up...

Othniel (Judges 3.7-11)

• First let's look back at v. 4, "They (surrounding nations) were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD's commands," God does leave people and situations in our life to test us and see if we will obey Him. Do your students recognize this? Do we (parents & youth workers) allow people to be there that might test the students or do we try to buffer them? Think about a few of your students. Who are their testers?
  
• The Israelites did not do well with this test. They quickly forgot God. (v. 7) How often does this happen to students? I think the Israelites forgot about God because things were going well. They didn't have any major conflicts with the surrounding nations; besides the people seemed nice. When we become comfortable with our surroundings, we lose sight of God. This happens rather quickly for students. Keep God in the forefront and remind them of what God has done in the past.
  
• They got themselves into trouble, and God was willing to get them out. How amazing is that? Inevitably, the trouble is always our fault. Your students will make stupid decisions. They will make bad choices. They will think they are too far gone to be forgiven or loved by God - they might even think that all the bad stuff in their life is God punishing them. Take time to remind them of God's love. Remind them that God wants to be there for them and will provide a way out of their struggles.
• After a war, led by Othniel, the Israelites enjoyed a time of peace (40 years). Two things about this; first, it took a war for them to get to the peace and the peace only lasted as long as Othniel was alive. In youth ministry, there are times where the only way to get to peace is through a rough time. You have to wade through some negatives in order to get to the positive. Working with students means there will be some seasons that feel like battle. When you get through those, you get to enjoy the season of peace. Be willing to go through the tough times!
• Students can depend solely on the youth minister. This is taken from the fact that the Israelites enjoyed peace as long as Othniel was alive. Just like the Israelites relied solely on Othniel, there will be students who live for God only when the youth worker is around. This could mean until the youth worker leaves the ministry or it could mean only moment to moment when a youth worker is around. Teaching the youth to wrestle with their faith helps them to not rely on the adults. The students have to be able to grow on their own or they will fall when the adult leaves. Be mindful of this as you work with students.
  

Next up, Ehud the left-handed.

Small Town Youth Ministry: Meeting Locations

Another benefit of working in a small town is the ease of meeting someone at a location. When I want to meet someone or a group of people for lunch, all I have to say is "Let's meet at Subway" or "Let's meet at the chinese place." That is enough. There are not 2 of any restaurant, so just saying the name is enough. You don't have to give directions. You don't need to search a map online. You just know. It makes getting together with people a little easier when you don't need to decide on a location.

Reflections on: leaving a ministry

Leaving a ministry is part of being in ministry. Everyone who ministers will do it at least once in their ministry (there are a few who do not, but that is rare). Every exit is different. Every leaving is unique in its details. But there are a few similarities. At the end of your ministry, you will pack up, clean up, and haul multiple carloads of boxes, containers, shelves and other office furniture from your office to your house. You will probably do a lot of thinking about leaving your ministry.

What follows is some of my thoughts on leaving a ministry. Maybe they will encourage you in your ministry. Maybe they will make you laugh. Maybe they will give you the resolve to keep going. Maybe they will be the same thoughts you are having about your ministry. Whatever it is they are to you, I pray it is helpful.

Reflections on: leaving a ministry:

1. There is never a good time to leave. Regardless of what you might think or feel, it is never a good time to leave. When things are going well - you don't want to miss out on the joys and growth. when things are going bad - you feel like you are just running from something that is difficult.
   
2. There is a God time to leave. This is the "time" where God leads you to leave. It could be when things are going well (like Gerrard) or it could be when things are not going so well (like a youth minister I know who got forced out because the sr. minister wouldn't resign after moral failure). But when it comes to God time, you can't plan it. You don't know when it is coming until it gets there. Though you can't plan it, you need to be ready for it.
   
3. There is a difference between being a minister and doing ministry. One is the job title and one is a lifestyle. You can leave one, but you can't get away from the other.
   
4. Its hardest to leave the students. Now, don't misunderstand me on this one. Saying goodbye to the adults and parents is difficult. But, for me, saying goodbye to the students is even harder. On some level, the adults "understand" the process more and adjust more to the situation (either good or bad). But its trying to respond to those students who says things like ... "Have you thought about staying in the area?" "Why do you have to go?" "Don't forget to stay in contact." "What am I going to do without you around?" Leaving those students who have allowed you to enter their world is one of the toughest things I've ever had to do.
5. Awkwardness is normal. Most people do not know what to say. The other people can't really say what they are thinking (because they don't want to really hurt your feelings) or they just don't want to talk to you. Because of this, it is awkward to be there on Sunday after it is announced you are leaving. I think that even though you may feel, as the youth minister, you are the only person feeling awkward - you need to remember that others are feeling awkward, too.
6. You have to trust God. You may know where you are going next. You may be clueless, without any leads. No matter what you know, you have to trust God to take care of you. This trust might be financially, with your job, with your reputation or something else. Regardless of what happened (good or bad, right or wrong) God is bigger than the situation. God is bigger than your worries. God is bigger than your bills. God is bigger than everything. He will take care of you. It may not always be comfortable, but God will provide.
7. Integrity is crucial. When leaving a ministry, always act above reproach. Do not say hurtful or harsh words about others (even if it is the truth). Do not try to stir the pot. Maintain a level of integrity that brings glory and honor to God. Finish strong. Whether you will see anyone from that church again or not does not matter, you must continue to act in a Christlike manner.

Whatever your situation, I want to encourage you to leave well.

Photo Friday: Fence Posts

pray for the Chapman family

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

go to Steven Curtis Chapman's website to find out more and see how you can pray and help. They have set up a website dedicated to her memory, go here to meet Maria

Trivia Wednesday #70: NBC late night

answer #69 - a trunk

question #70 - Which late night NBC show was replaced by Late Night with David Letterman?

7 Wonderful Years

Today is my 7th wedding anniversary. What a crazy 7 years it has been. As I look back on the first 7 years of our marriage, I just shake my head. What would we have done if we would have known the future? Thank God we didn't know (and still do not). I would not want to go through life with anyone else by my side.

7 years of being married to the greatest women in the world. She has truly been a comfort during tough times and a blessing at all times. I am honored and blessed to have Amy in my life and I thank God everyday for her.

I love you babe!! Happy Anniversary.

Prince Caspian: My thoughts

Disclaimer: I need to state right from the start that I've never read any of the books. I tried to start reading "The Magician's Nephew", but only got a few chapters in. So, I don't know how the movie compared to the book.

Prince Caspian is an edge-of-your-seat movie. If you liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you need to see Prince Caspian. If you didn't like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you still need to see Prince Caspian.

Prince Caspian starts off quickly and puts you right into the thick of the plot within the first few minutes. From that first scene until the last, the movie is full of action and suspense. And along the way, there is woven in moments of humor and lightheartedness. In fact, this Chronicle of Narnia seems to be filled with more sarcasm and humor than the first. (a nice change of pace)

There are a few great battle scenes, though they did remind me a lot of the Lord of the Rings. And if you are looking for some great Aslan moments, they are here, too. The characters are rich with depth and insight. Prince Caspian himself is a lesson on vengeance. Peter is full of pride. Lucy learns to believe in herself and not worry what others think.

I highly recommend seeing Prince Caspian. Then after you have seen it once, take someone else with you to see it a second time. You cannot go wrong with this movie. You will walk away pondering the depth of the story.

One last thought: near the end of the movie there is a moment between Aslan and Lucy that in itself is worth the price of admission. Lucy is sent to find Aslan to help fight in the final battle. After some trouble, she finally arrives at the place where Aslan is. At one point in the conversation, Lucy tells Aslan that the others didn't believe her and that is why she didn't come to him sooner. She knew he was there, but did not want to search for him by herself. Aslan's response to her statement is, "Why did that stop you from coming?" What a great moment. What a great lesson. If you get nothing else from this movie (which I believe you will) then you need to walk away with that understanding in your head - why would you let others determine how you interact with God.

my advice (rating) - go see it in the theater(5 out of 5)

New Poll: Summer off day

With graduations done and the temperatures rising, we must be entering summer. For youth workers this means the busiest 3 months of the year. But this busyness got me thinking, do most youth workers still take an off day during the summer. Thus, that is the newest poll question.

During the summer, do you still take an off day during the week?

• yes, my normal day
• yes, varies from week to week
• yes, when I'm not on a trip
• no, no time

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on a summer work schedule.

Poll Results: Graduation Ceremonies

The end of the school year means graduation. And graduation equals graduation ceremonies.

What do people think about graduation ceremonies? Well, according to my poll, on this site, (of mostly youth workers) a majority of people do not enjoy the ceremony part.

Do you enjoy graduation ceremonies?
20% (2 people) do enjoy the ceremonies
80% (8 people) do not enjoy the ceremonies

This could be due to the fact that a lot of ceremonies last for hours. Or that most ceremonies are in places without A/C. Or it could be the fact that most youth ministers only know a small percentage of the graduating seniors. Even with this large percentage of people not enjoying the ceremonies, I don't know a single youth worker who would miss it. That's how much we love the students!

Photo Friday: Rainbow

5 most mentioned men in the Bible

As I was cleaning my office, I ran across this little tidbit of information, the five men who are mentioned the most in Scripture.

In order, from 5th to 1st

• Saul with 338 mentions (He'll probably want a recount)
  
• Aaron with 339 mentions
  
• Moses with 740 mentions
• David with 1,118 mentions
• and Jesus with too many to count

This list got me thinking. Who are the people you talk about most in your ministry? (people from Scripture, not pop culture) Do you spend a majority of your time talking about Jesus? Or do you spend most of your time talking about pop culture and other frivolous stuff?

What are the five topics that are talked about most in your youth ministry?

Discussion Starter: The story of stuff

If you haven't seen this video (20 minutes) yet, you need to watch it. You can find it here.

Use this video to spark discussion on: consumerism, waste, money, the planet, taking care of creation, and anything it might spark in your students.

(gracias a Marko)

Trivia Wednesday #69: Elephant

answer #68 - Maharishi Maresh Yogi

question #69 - What name is shared by the base of a tree and an elephant's snout?

4 Leaf Clover: God's good luck charm?

As I was cleaning out my office, I ran across this little poem. I think it came from some 4 leaf clover thing we got as a wedding gift many years ago. I thought it was a little odd, so I would share...

One leaf is for hope
and one is for faith.
And one is for love, you know
and God put another in for luck.

Really? Someone actually believes that God would need to put a fourth leaf on a clover for luck.
Anyway, enjoy.

Amos 4:4-5

Amos 4:4-5
"Go to Bethel and sin;
go to Gilgal and sin yet more.
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three years.

Burn leavened bread as a thank offering
and brag about your freewill offerings—
boast about them, you Israelites,
for this is what you love to do,"
declares the Sovereign LORD.

When I read this, I was struck by how it can be read with sarcasm. Did God say it sarcastically or is that just me reading it that way?

God goes on to talk about how no matter what He did, the Israelites would not return to Him. This got me thinking, how often have I sinned (strayed from God) and yet continue to tithe or do the right stuff on the outside without really returning to God? What would God say to me? What would He say to you?

Photo Friday: Sleeping Baby Opossum

I found this little guy sleeping in the trash can one day. Isn't he cute?

thoughts on an end to a ministry

Sunday it was announced that my current ministry is coming to a close.

Due to this, the last few weeks have been pretty tough for us. They haven't been tough because people have been mean or anything. They have been tough as we worked through this decision. There is never a good time to leave a ministry. There are always events and plans you want to see through to the end. There will always be students you are working with and mentoring. There will always be ideas you want to see become a reality.

All of those are true for me. The last few weeks have been emotionally draining, too. There seems to be little I can focus on. Even as I try to write this my mind is wondering.

We are in the process of looking for a new ministry. As we work through this time, all of your prayers are appreciated and cherished.

Trivia Wednesday #68: the Beatles

answer #67 - Rose

question #68 - Which religious leader was sought out by the Beatles?

to quote someone else: Stormie Omartian (God & our future)

"He (God) only promises to reveal Himself to us, when we seek Him. That's because He doesn't want us to know the future - He wants us to know Him. He is our future. When we know Him, He guides us into the future He has for us."

taken from The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian

Helping others can be dirty

What do you do when you see someone in trouble? What is your first thought?

Maybe you start figuring out how to offer your help. Maybe you start praying someone else will come along and do "their" part to help. Maybe you glance the other way and pretend to not notice. Maybe you keep driving. Maybe you have never encountered it.

It happened recently to me. My sister, brother-in-law, and niece were visiting for a few days. One afternoon, while playing at the park, I noticed a truck drive near the pond. Normally this would not be a big deal - people drive up to the pond to go fishing all the time. But on this day, due to the massive amount of rain we'd been getting, it was a problem. The ground was really wet and there were puddles everywhere. The driver of the truck did not think about this and drove near the pond to go fishing.

As I was standing on the play bridge, at the park, watching him I started to think. The ladies had just left to work on getting lunch ready, leaving the three kids and two dads. I knew we were going to need to go and help try to push him out, but wasn't sure what to do. So I watched. I knew it would take a minute or two to get the kids from the park to the pond. And I was hoping he would be able to drive right through without getting stuck. But then he stopped. (not good)

I watched him try reverse and just spin his wheels. So, we collected the kids and started walking toward him. By this point, another car had stopped to try and help. The driver was able to help push the truck a little bit, but was not going to get him out. By the time we got close, the help was walking back to his car.

So, the three of us (driver who stopped to help, brother-in-law and myself) walked back to the truck and were going to push it out. Well, the other driver ended up behind the right wheel and my brother-in-law ended up behind the left wheel. I was the second guy there and went to the middle with little thought. We pushed him out, but not before getting a "little" muddy. Because I was in the middle, I only got some of the spray. Look at what my brother-in-law got...

This is what some of the pants looked like afterward.








This was his shoe.








Helping others is dirty.

You do not always get physically dirty, either. But you are not guaranteed to stay clean.

As we were walking home, I was reminded of one truth. It is always the right thing to do to help someone in need. My 2 year old told me, "Daddy, I'm glad you helped him." So am I.

Reminds me of something Jesus said.

New Poll:

This is graduation season, so the poll revolves around graduation. (clever isn't it?) It is a simple poll this week, only two options.

Do you enjoy graduation ceremonies?
yes
no


I'm also interested in hearing about some funny, sad stories you might have about graduations. Maybe you went to the wrong one or sat through a four hour graduation and still missed seeing one of your students walk across the stage. Please share in the comments.

Poll Results: Summer Missions

The last poll asked whether you were taking a summer missions trip this summer. It turns out, this was not a big poll. Only 2 people voted. How did they vote...

100% (2 people) are not doing a summer mission event.

Interesting...

Photo Friday: Bowling

Let's just say it took the ball a little while to get down the lane.

Trivia Wednesday #67: Flower Families

answer #66 - J.R.R. Tolkien

question #67 - Which flower family includes apples, pears and cherries?

Thoughts on Believe '08: Anderson, IN

First, let me just say that Believe was a great event. It was a great chance for our jr. highers to "Connect."

Like all trips; we had our share of unexpected events. But nothing hampered the weekend. Here is a breakdown of how we started the weekend (picture it if you will)...

- got to the school "on time" to pick up 7th graders, the 8th graders were at a local church for the day doing an all day 8th grade thing.
- walked in office and one of the secretaries (both who go to the church) said "I've got good news and bad news, what do you want first?" This is never a good way to start a trip.
- I said, "let's go with the bad news." To which she responded by telling me that a couple of the students left their bags on the bus. We would have to drive to the bus drivers house to get them off the bus.
- Waited for the 7th graders. They were in gym (I mean PE). The teacher's words to dismiss them from class "Alright, all you believers can go now" - had to be one of the highlights of the weekend for me, it brought a smile to my face.
(we never heard the good news)
- Drove down the street to pick up 8th graders. Then on another 5-7 minutes to get the bags from the bus. Then back past all three stops to head out of town.
- I think we started off being at least 30 minutes off schedule

The trip was good. We got there after the first session started. But the good thing about that was, as we were walking in we ran into Brent the Stunt Guy outside. Got to talk to him for a few minutes, great guy.

Even the first night, the students were opening up and sharing. This is rare for me; it usually takes the first day to get them talking.

Scott Rubin did a phenominal job communicating with the students. Also with the adults in the "breakout session"

Brent was great doing his "stunt guy stunts." The students think he is crazy.

Eric Timm added a whole new dimension to the weekend with his art. I've seen him before at other conferences and such, but this Believe tour has to be my favorite stuff I've seen him do.

I had some great adults who really made the weekend a great time to connect with the students. We were able to have some really good, deep, conversations that were about more than surface issues. Hoping to have it just springboard into ongoing conversations...

Thanks to Johnny and the rest of the staff for all the work they put into making Believe a very jr. high intentional and effective ministry.

(maybe I'll post some pics soon)

YouVersion.com review

There is a website called killerstartups that tries to give its readers a good assortment of web startups each day. Recently they reviewed YouVersion.com, which you can read it here.


An interesting take on it.

Photo Friday: Tree and Blue Sky

I like this picture.

twitter apps

I've been meaning to write this post for some time. Over the last few weeks, I've run across a couple (more that I'm not including) Twitter apps. Here are the ones I think can be most useful/fun for those in ministry. I haven't used them all and do not claim to say they are great. But they look to be worth a look.

Twitterlights allows you to highlight internet snippets and twitter them.


Twixxer is a site that lets you share and see video and pictures on Twitter. If you have the greasemonkey addon you can see it in twitter, otherwise you get a link to click and see it (which is no different than what you can do now)


Tweetlater is exactly what it sounds like. You write your tweet and set the time/day it gets posted. Could be fun to do when you are in a meeting or youth group or in a van with 12 teenagers.

Twitimonials is a place to say why you follow certain twitterers. You just say something like, "always has something funny to say."


Intwition is a site designated to letting you track links used on Twitter. See which YouTube video has been sent over Twitter the most and which blog is getting a lot of mention.

Twitearth is a fun way to watch how tweets happen around the world at the same time. Reminds us that the world is a small place.

Trackthis is a way to track your shipments on Twitter. Every time your package changes location you get a direct message on Twitter.

Trivia Wednesday #66: The Hobbit

answer #65 - Ronald Reagan

question #66 - Who wrote The Hobbit?

Happy Birthday Nathan

Today, my oldest turns 4.

I know that isn't old, but it still seems strange. Happy Birthday buckaroo!

Reflections on: earthquakes

This morning, at 4:40am, I was awakened by an earthquake. And I live in southern IL. I've never experienced an earthquake before (I've lived in Cincy, OH, Augusta, GA and grew up in northern IN) At first we thought it was strong winds, but for once this week it wasn't windy. The longer it lasted, the more I was sure it was an earthquake. A few pictures got shaken up, some puzzles fell from our huge box pile of puzzles, and I just found out one of our picture frames fell and broke.

As I tried to go back to sleep, I was able to do a lot of thinking. First, I think an earthquake would be a great plot for a movie. :) Second, I wondered how anyone could miss an earthquake. How could people just not notice it. Third, I was thinking about all the earthquakes found in the Bible: Elijah (1 Kings 19.10-12), those guarding Jesus(Mt. 27.54), at Jesus' resurrection (Mt. 28.2), Paul & Silas in prison (Acts 16.25-27), a few in Revelation (6.12; 8.5; 11.13; 11.19; 16.18)

earthquakes connected to God:
Isa. 29.6


Here is the info on the earthquake. Here's a CNN article on the quake.

Photo Friday: cement truck

I call this 'cement truck'.

Believe '08: Anderson, IN

Tomorrow, we are taking a group of jr. highers to Believe in Anderson, IN. I am very excited about this trip. I've never actually been to a CIY event at Anderson before. I've been to many other events, in other locations, and have never been disappointed.

Another reason I'm excited is the group that is going: great students and great adults.

I'll post about the highlights after we get back. Hopefully this year, I won't have to talk to any police.

Trivia Wednesday #65: Oldest US President

answer #64 - Casey Stengel

question #65 - Name the oldest man elected to the U.S. presidency.

DSL filtering & the church

Have you ever had a DSL line put in your house or business? We did it a few months ago at church. It was a process to get it all done. That would be a topic for a different post.

What did catch my attention during the installation process was something that happened in order to get the DSL to work in our building. The phone guy had to filter the DSL line outside of the building before it could enter. Originally the thought was to filter it once it was in the building, but that didn't work.

This filtering got me thinking about something. What do we filter before it gets into the church? Do we need to filter ourselves before we enter the building? Do we filter the "secular world" before it comes in?

And does our filtering help us or hurt us?

I don't have answers, just questions/thoughts right now. I'd love to hear what you think about filtering "anything" before it enters the church building. Please share, but make sure you filter your comments first...

Catfights & game names

Over the years, I've heard the phrase catfight used mainly to refer to two females fighting. The other night, I found out what a real catfight is all about. About midnight, I was woken up by the dogs starting to bark at some cats meowing outside. I was able to keep the dogs from getting too loud, but the cats didn't seem to get any quieter. So I decided to get up and see what was going on. Turns out there were two cats fighting on the back porch. They were jumping, rolling and chasing each other. (or it was just one tormenting the other, I couldn't tell). Either way, I couldn't get them to move by just using my voice. I had to go get a broom to chase them off. It was weird to watch.

Made me glad I don't have cats.

On to something completely different...

Last night I was looking at this booklet of various games a certain game company had for sale. I was struck by some of the names and thought I would share:

• "doodle dice: see what your dice can doodle" (looks like you try to have the dice 'draw' something)
• "Pegs in the Park"
• "Rock, Paper Scissors, the card game"
• "Solitaire Frenzy"
• "Over and Out: the fun just keeps adding up"
• "Kazink!"
• "The Game of chips"
• "Shake Up"
• "Takeaway"
• "Respond!: can you respond in time?"

and my favorite

• "How Tall Am I?: fun from head to toe!"

Discussion Starter: Video on regrets - Spoons

I saw this over at YS sometime and thought it was pretty good.



You can use this clip to talk about regrets or your past. What do you regret? How does it affect your everyday actions? Have you told others? What can you do to make up for it or change it? How do you get past your regrets?

If you don't want to use this video to spark discussion on regrets, then use it just because its funny.

New Poll: Are you going to do any missions this summer?

With summer fast approaching (despite the recent cold temp. making us forget that its spring), I'm curious to hear what kinds of mission trips you all are taking. So, that is the question for today...

Are you going to do any missions this summer?
- no
- yes, overseas
- yes, national
- yes, local
- what is missions?


I would love to hear specifics about your trips. Please leave a comment and share where you are going and/or what you are doing. Thanks.

Poll Results: How many times a week do you teach?

The results are in...

The readers of this blog cover the spectrum of teaching responsibilities. Here are the specifics:

8% (1 person) normally does not teach
33% (4 people) teach 1 time a week
41% (5 people) teach 2 or 3 times a week
8% (1 person) teach 4 or 5 times a week
8% (1 person) teaches way too much each week

I'd be interested to hear if the person who teaches way too much teaches different age groups or how many lessons they teach multiple times.

Despite how much or little you teach, know that you have a great responsibility in sharing the Bible with the students. You are playing a role in how they will understand their world. Thanks!

Photo Friday: Spring Flower

Spring is here!

Trivia Wednesday #64: NY Yankees World Series Wins

answer #64 - Italy

question #65 - Under which manager did the NY Yankees win five straight World Series?

Adding a "wow" factor to an event

I just got done watching the latest mission from Improv Everywhere. This one was called, "best game ever." They basically took a little league game and turned it into a major league event. At first, I thought - man that is cool. But, at the end, I started thinking about what it would take to pull off something like that in my youth ministry. What could we do to turn an "ordinary" event into something extraordinary? What would it take?

Watch the video and then we'll continue this discussion...



I think everyone in youth ministry would agree that doing something like this would be awesome. Talk about memory makers. But how do you pull it off and which students do you include? How could you do something like this and include all your students?

I don't think many of our ministries could afford to do a jumbotron or even the mascots. Maybe it could be something you do for the seniors each year, or the freshmen. I'm pretty short of ideas - I was just really impressed and wanted to start some conversation/thinking.

(read about what it took to pull of, as well as a nice recap of what happened, here on their site.)

Do you have any ideas of what a youth ministry could do to add this "wow" factor to an event?

Reflections on: being "old"

Recently, after a jr. high small group I was caught off guard by this conversation...

teen #1 to teen #2 - Do you think Mike knows about Monty Python?
teen #2 response - Probably, but you can ask him.
teen #1 to me - Hey, Mike have you ever heard of Monty Python and the Holy Grail?
me - Do you know how old that movie is?
teen #1 - no
me - I bet I saw that movie before you were even born. What year were you born?
teen #1 - 1994
me - Yeah, I think I saw that before you were born.

me (afterthought) - does that make me old?

One moment you forget how many years there are between you and the students. The next moment you are reminded that there are plenty of years between you and the students. And I'm not even that old, just shy of 30. What will it be like in the next few years? Will the students remember the Smurfs? Will they know about baseball before there was a "central" division?
Will they know about the original Super Mario Bros.?

Have you had one of those "old moments" recently?

Technology & Your Teen: A parent seminar

I'm teaching a seminar on technology tonight. Its a seminar for any and all parents of teenagers in the congregation. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I'm hoping enough parents are concerned about the subject and want to learn more. I've found a lot of good material and really want to get it into some parents' hands.

If you get a chance, pray for it. thanks.

Here's the promo I used for it. (there is no sound)

Photo Friday: Resting Dogs

This is a picture of my two dogs relaxing on the couch. Don't they look comfortable?

One year of tweets on twitter

At the end of last March I joined Twitter. What a year it has been, too. At the beginning, I wasn't sure what it was going to be like to use twitter. I mean, really, who wants to know "what I'm doing" at any given moment. Plus I didn't have any friends to follow or many people following me. It turns out that using twitter has been quite fun and beneficial.

I've been able to...
meet and get to know a couple youth ministers from around the states.
reconnect with friends I hadn't talked to in a while.
gain some insight on topics I wouldn't have otherwise gotten.
laugh.
share the good times and bad times with people.
receive prayer from friends when its been needed.
laugh some more.
find out about opportunities and helps for ministry.
get to know people better.

I think Twitter has and will be beneficial to me and my ministry. But you don't have to take my word for it (man, I miss Reading Rainbow) read what Dennis and Adam have to say.

Good Idea, Bad Idea: Hand Sanitizer

Good Idea: Using hand sanitizer after eating lunch at the middle school.

Bad Idea: Using hand sanitizer, after eating lunch at the middle school, on the hand with two notes written on it you need to remember. (Let's just say it smears)

Trivia Wednesday #63: Aircraft Bombs

answer #62 - false

question #63 - Who demonstrated the first use of bomb-equipped aircrafts - Germany, Italy or England?

Why teens enjoy fast food and what youth workers can learn

I found an interesting post on why teenagers enjoy eating fast food. It got me thinking about what we (youth workers) can learn about why teenagers might enjoy being involved in a youth ministry. Look at a few of the reasons noted for why teens like fast food...

The food is affordable.
The place is comfortable and safe to hang out
They can choose what they want.

Affordable = cheap.
Most youth ministries have many, many events that are free or low cost. Do more teens come out to events because they are free or low cost?

Comfortable and safe.
There are not too many ministries out there who are not trying to be a safe place for teens. Does it count as comfortable to have couches and games? Do more teens come to a youth ministry event because the couches are comfortable?

Choose what they want = get their way.
There are options. We have a small group on Wednesday, basketball on Tuesday, outreach on Thursday and a youth service on Friday night. Does that sound like enough choices for a teenager? Is that what draws a teen to a youth ministry event, the fact that they can go to something they want to?

I think if we look at youth ministry the same way the fast food industry looks at itself, we are going to find ourself in trouble.

Yeah, teens will come to events that don't cost much. But if that is all they are coming for or to then you might find yourself with a teen who isn't growing. (with the obvious exception of Bible studies/small groups which don't usually cost much to attend) Maybe the concern shouldn't be on the need to have cheap events, but on having quality events. If you can't do many quality events without charging the students more than you want, then try doing less events - just make the quality. Remember teens will go to more expensive places to eat, just not everyday.

Feeling comfortable is very subjective. The methods you use that make "Timmy" comfortable may make "Tony" very uncomfortable. As a ministry, you cannot expect to do the same thing for every student and achieve the same results. (but isn't that so much easier to do?) Accept the students for who they are. Make sure they know you are concerned about them and want to know about who they are (ie hobbies, sports, interests...). Use their names whenever possible.

Of the three, I think the multiple options is the hardest for a ministry. Unless you are a large youth ministry, it is difficult to have systems in place to "appeal" to a wide range of likes and interests. Maybe the choices aren't always as easy to see. Maybe the teenagers get to help pick out the music you listen to on a trip. Maybe you allow them to pick the place you stop to get gas or pick up food. Maybe you let them help you decide which topics to teach or how long you teach them. Even at a fast food restaurant the choices are limited to a relatively small menu board.

And really, do you want to be like those fast food places and give the teens a "mildly fulfilling" stock product?

In the end, I don't think youth ministries need to try to be like McDonald's or Wendy's and especially not Taco Bell. But who says we can't learn something as we drive-thru.