Youth Ministry Budgeting: Stewardship (1 of 5)

(This is the first post in a 5 part series on Youth Ministry Budgeting.)

The most important thing to remember when working on your youth ministry budget is that the money is not your money. It is not your own personal spending money. It is God's money and your youth ministry is a steward of it. The money has been given to the church (or directly to the youth ministry) by other people as an offering for the furthering of God's Kingdom. Before you spend any of that money, make sure you remember the reason people gave. It is also good for you to remember the fact that people have gone without and sacrificed to give that money to your ministry.

Once you understand that important aspect of the youth ministry money, you need to begin thinking about the value and necessity of the things you are adding to the budget. It is crucial in this part of the process to stop and refocus yourself on being a good steward. Ask yourself questions like: What is needed? Can we find something equivalent for less? Is that a good use of our money? Is the money better spent on something else? Taking extra time on this step can help you avoid regret down the road.

Do not allow yourself to get caught up in spending money just because you have money to spend. Just because you have money to buy something new does not mean you have to spend it on a new television, sound system, or even a new youth building. You are a steward of this money and people are trusting you to spend it wisely. You would be wise to not waste the money that people have entrusted to the youth ministry. Making quick decisions is not being a good steward. Throwing money into something you do not need is not being a good steward. Buying something just to look cool is not being a good steward.

Being a good steward of your youth ministry budget will look different for your ministry than it will for mine or the ministry down the street. Only your youth ministry team knows what is truly needed and what is just a want. You need to spend time in prayer asking God to give you wisdom with your budget. You need to talk about your budget with your team, allowing each person the chance to voice his/her opinion about how to be the best stewards of your youth budget. (I also know each person will have their own personal bias as to where the money is spent, and it is the youth minister's responsibility to discern what is best for the ministry as a whole.)

Being a good steward can also mean you "reduce/reuse/recycle" within your ministry. Is there some curriculum you can rework and use again? Can you rearrange classes to better use the space you have? Does food have to be served at such and such event? Where can you reduce your spending? What materials can you reuse? What materials/ideas can you give away to other ministries?

As you begin thinking about your budget and what it means to be a good steward, keep in mind these Scriptures:

Ps. 24.1 - "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."

Lev. 25.23 - "The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants."

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 - “When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”


Before you assign money to any aspect of your youth ministry, determine what it means for your youth ministry to be good stewards of your resources.

Valentine's Day lesson on God's love for you

February means Valentine's Day, which means everyone is thinking about love. From little kids handing out valentines to their classmates to adults going out for a romantic dinner, people are showing their love in special ways. And what do people love? What do you love? (get some responses) What do you mean when you say you "love" someone or something? I use the word love a lot during any given day. "I love porkburgers." "I love my wife." "I love my kids." "I love to read." "I love God." Do they all mean the same thing? I sure hope not.

We tend to use the word love when referring to things we like, admire, think are cool, or have strong emotions toward. Saying I love my laptop is not the same as saying I love my family. It does not mean exactly the same as when you guys say you love ___________. And its definitely not the same as saying God loves me and God loves you. When I tell you that God loves you, it is so much more than some momentary emotional connection or feeling. Let's look at three verses that show us what God's love means for you and me.

The first verse to look at is John 3.16. "God so loved the world..." What does God's love mean in this verse? Does it mean God really likes the world or thinks the world is really cool? No, it means that He sent Jesus to earth to die for your sins so that you can live with Him in heaven forever. God loves you so much that He was willing to let His only Son die in your place.

Do you have that kind of love for anyone?

The next passage is Romans 5.6-8. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Not only does God say that He loves you, He showed His love by dying in your place. You and I do not the power to take care of our sins, but Jesus died so that we would. Christ died for you when you didn't deserve it.

Do you know anyone else who would do that?

The last verse I want to look at is 1 John 4.8-12. "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

Again, this verse emphasizes the fact that God loves us enough to allow Jesus to die in our place. True love is not that we love God (for what He did for us), but that God loved us and sent Jesus to pay our price for our sins. Verse 12 tells us that if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. You and I can complete God's love for others by loving them.

Are you loving others the way He loves us?

God wants us to love others, that means He wants us to treat other people with respect, to do nice things for them, and to be willing to sacrifice for them. And above all God wants you to know that when He says He loves you, He doesn't just mean that He thinks you are cool or neat. He means that He loves you enough to send His Son to die on a cross for your sins. That is how much He loves you!

Good Idea, Bad Idea: Driving the car around

Good idea: driving your car around to the basement of the church building to avoid walking on the snow/ice.

Bad idea: driving to the basement of the church and almost getting stuck on the way out because you tried to drive on the snow/ice on the "path" out.

Just because someone else made it through on the snow, does not mean you will make it through. And if you do not have 4x4, it is probably not a smart idea to even try.

Proverbs 30.8-9 (my daily bread)

If my last 9 months had a theme verse, it would be Pr. 30.8-9.

Proverbs 30:8-9 — “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

God has continually provided for my family's daily bread. We have not had an abundance, nor have we had too little. It has not been anything we have done, everything has been a gift from God. (Maybe in the next few months, I'll take the time to write a post sharing how God has taken care of my family.)

What has God done for you in the last 9 months?

Photo Friday: Golden Sunset

A sunset like this reminds me just how great and powerful God is. No matter what is going on in your life, do not loose sight of God, who is working in your life.

Stop and admire His creation today.

Trivia Wednesday #108: Presidential Birthplaces

answer #107 - one

question #108 - In which state have the most Presidents been born?

February trivia questions...

All of the remaining trivia questions this month will have to do with presidents. How good are you at your "useless" presidential knowledge? This month, you'll get a chance to share your knowledge with others by answering some random trivia questions.

Photo Friday: Open Bible

Here is a picture of the Bible opened to Psalm 74.

When was the last time you read a Psalm?

Poll Results: Next Blog Series

The votes are in. Overwhelmingly you guys want to see a series on budgeting. Both personal and church budgeting will be covered in two upcoming blog series.

Here are the poll results:

30% (3 people) wanted Youth Minister's Budget (personal)
40% (4 people) wanted Youth Ministry's Budget (church)
10% (1 person) wanted Small Town Youth Ministry
20% (2 people) wanted Youth Ministry Blog Reviews
0 % wanted Parenting Mistakes
(1 person) wanted "Your ideas" (added to list already)

Order of my next blog series will be:
Youth Ministry's budget
Youth Minister's personal budget
Youth Ministry blog reviews
Small Town youth ministry


If you have any specific questions or topics you want covered, just leave a comment or email me and I'll answer/address them in the blog series.

Trivia Wednesday #107: Vincent Van Gogh

answer #106 - Irvin Kershner

question #107 - How many paintings did Vincent Van Gogh sell in his lifetime?


(come back next Wednesday for the answer)

to quote someone else: Andy Crouch (changing culture)

"The only way to change culture is to create more of it."
"So if we seek to change culture, we will have to create something new, something that will persuade our neighbors to set aside some existing set of cultural goods for our new proposal."

taken from Culture Making by Andy Crouch

What are we, youth workers, doing to change the youth/teenage culture? Does your ministry seek to change culture? Are you actively creating new culture for your students?

Photo Friday: Turtle

turtles are interesting animals. What does it feel like to always be home?

Free (partial) book download: The Shape of Faith to Come"

the 6 chapters of "The Shape of Faith to Come" is available for free download by going to this site.

Here is the info I got in an email explaining the book and download:

Some studies suggest Christians in North America are not qualitatively different in their character and practices than nonbelievers. Could that be true?

In The Shape of Faith to Come, research expert Brad J. Waggoner and his team measure the beliefs and actions of twenty-five hundred active Protestant churchgoers from across the country against seven key standards of biblical spiritual formation. The unpredictable findings reveal the current state and potential forecast of discipleship in the United States.

LIMITED TIME OFFER: download the first 175 pages of The Shape of Faith to Come at no cost here. The first two thousand entries will also gain access to a FREE Online Spiritual Formation Assessment!

The Source4YouthMinistry's Super Bowl Quiz

Jonathan over at the Source 4 Youth Ministry has made available a free Super Bowl Quiz. (They do one every year). There are also a few party ideas/tips.

I've used this quiz the last couple years and had a great response from the teens. If you are not a football fan, like myself, it might help to have one of the youth coaches who is a football fan to help be in charge of this quiz or at least the answering of some of the questions the students will ask.

I also posted some ideas for the Big Game recently. If you haven't seen those ideas, click over and see if any of them can be helpful for your super bowl party.

Trivia Wednesday #106: The Empire Strikes Back

answer #105 - Amelia Earhart

question #106 - Who directed the film The Empire Strikes Back?

Book Review: Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Crazy Love was one of those books that came with a lot of hype. When I first picked up my copy, I had already heard some great reviews and glowing praise for this book. All the hype definitely played a part in my decision to buy the book and read it. Aside from this initial praise for the book, I knew a little about Chan himself. I had heard some great stories about his leadership and some of the things the church he preaches at was doing. So, right from the start I had high expectations for the content and what I would glean from Chan's writing.

The first few chapters deal exclusively with the greatness of God. Chan is not making any assumptions about the reader's knowledge of God. Right from the start, you go back to the start of it all - creation. Chan starts by painting several pictures for the reader of God's greatness seen in creation. From here, he spends a few chapters adding to this case that God is greater than anyone or anything ever. Though I appreciated this reminder, it seemed to drag on longer than I thought necessary (and maybe this stems from my upbringing and subsequent Bible College education).

Once this foundation is laid, Chan then starts the challenges. He spends the rest of the book challenging the reader to be more like Christ, to take God at His word and to live out what Christ calls us to live. While reading, there were moments I found myself rereading sentences just to make sure I was grasping what was being written. There were other sentences that grabbed my attention and caused me to stop and think. Sentences like, "Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers." and this quote from Tim Kizziar, "Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

Crazy Love is a good book and its definitely worth a read. Is it a book for you, though? I believe the best audience to read this book are those Christians who are complacent with with their faith. If you or someone you know is struggling, lukewarm or stagnant then this is a great book to read and let soak in.

God's love for you is crazy. His love for me is crazy. At the least, you will walk away from this book with that understanding. But my fear, and I think Chan's fear as well, is that you can walk away from that understanding and do absolutely nothing to change your life. Do not allow yourself that option, act on what you are challenged to change.


My advice (rating) – borrow from a friend (3 out of 5)

to quote someone else: Tim Kizziar (our greatest fear)

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."

taken from Crazy Love by Francis Chan

What is it that you are trying to succeed in? Will that success ultimately matter? If not, maybe your focus needs to change.

I know some of mine does.

Photo Friday: small wooden cross

This is a picture of a small wooden cross and a rock we had set up in the youth room at my first ministry. I have always liked the simplicity of the picture, so I thought I would share with you.

New Poll: Next blog series

I have a few topics I want to blog about next, but I'm not sure which one to start on first. So I thought I would ask you (anyone who reads this) what you think. What series would you like me to write and post first?

Next Blog Series:
- Youth Minister's Budget (personal)
- Youth Ministry's Budget (church)
- Small Town Youth Ministry
- Youth Ministry Blog Reviews
- Parenting Mistakes
- Your ideas

I would love to hear your comments on any of these topics. And if you have another idea, just leave it in a comment and I'll think about blogging about it.

Trivia Wednesday #105: first solo flight over Atlantic

answer #104 - 14

question #105 - Name the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Book Review: Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher

I picked up Mark Oestreicher's new book while at the National Youth Workers Convention a few months ago. I had been looking forward to reading this expanded version of a general session talk he had given the year before at the convention. Having heard the general session talk and read the numerous blog posts on this very subject, I had certain expectations of what I would find within the pages. For the most part, I was not surprised.

Oestreicher has been involved with youth ministry for almost 25 years and is currently the president of Youth Specialties. He has been around the youth ministry world long enough to know the good and bad, and to have been a part of both sides. Now that he mainly sits on the other side of the trenches, watching the youth ministry culture as a whole, he can see a little clearer the trends that have been happening lately and how they will/should move youth ministers into what he calls youth ministry 3.0.

Before jumping into what youth ministry 3.0 is, Oestreicher sets out to explore youth ministry 1.0 and 2.0. According to Oestreicher, youth ministry 1.0 was the era when youth ministry was focused mainly on the proclamation of the Gospel. Youth ministry 2.0 was the era when the main focus was programs. Youth ministry is not completely out of version 2.0, but there are some significant changes occurring across the youth ministry world. The biggest events, tools, or methods in these eras of youth ministry were reproducible. At least that was the thought among both the "big ministries" and "little ministries." The larger ministries were busy sharing their methods with anyone who would listen (or go to the conference). And the small ministries spent a lot of time trying to copy the success of the larger ministries.

According to Oestreicher, one of the biggest changes in the youth ministry 3.0 era is that this "copy & paste" mentality has to go. In youth ministry 3.0, it is not about using the same method/curriculum/program as another church. The new era of youth ministry needs to be about being present within your own ministry context. Being present is the key word for this new ministry era. When a youth ministry is focused on what God is doing within their own ministry context, the focus is taken off of being like anyone else.

Oestreicher does not answer a lot of questions in this book, in fact he asks and leaves a lot of them unanswered. And isn't that the type of book a youth ministry 3.0 youth worker needs to read? A book that does not tell you how to change 7 aspects of your current model to become a newer/better ministry. (I still believe we need youth ministry books that focus on practical application, they are just not the only ones we need) The end of the book contains three stories of youth workers who are struggling with this transition or attempting make this transition within their ministries. These stories bring encouragement and challenge the youth workers who read this book to step out of their current "safe" model of ministry and go where God is leading.

The best way to make the most of reading this book is to read it with a group of youth workers. This is one of those books that is a good read, but a great resource when you discuss its content with others. If you are a lead youth worker, get a copy for everyone on your youth team and take time to read and discuss. If you are a volunteer youth worker, then make sure the lead youth worker knows about this book. Youth ministries have been stirring for a few years now about changes that need to take place within the realm of youth ministry. Oestreicher has articulated these feelings rather well, and you would benefit from listening to his thoughts, along with the voices of other youth workers found throughout the pages.


My advice (rating) –
buy more than one and give out copies (5 out of 5)

to quote someone else: Francis Chan ("crazy" faith)

"Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers."

taken from Crazy Love by Francis Chan

This is nothing new and is probably something you have heard in a sermon or two, but it bears repeating. I think a lot of Christians struggle with truly living their life by faith. Living by faith means you do not know what tomorrow brings, you will not know how a certain situation will turn out. Not being "sure" about the future (and we all know its impossible for anyone to ever really be sure of the future) is counter cultural for most people.

My one big concern, though, is that an unbeliever is not the only person who finds living by faith crazy. Christians do too. I have found in my life that there are times where other Christians struggle to understand how a person can have peace/faith during a period of complete uncertainty.

My prayer is that the way you life your life makes zero sense to unbelievers and encourages fellow Christians to step out in faith.

Photo Friday: Football Upclose

Here are a couple of football pictures.

As always, if you decide to use either of these pics please give me credit for my photography. I'd love to see or hear how you use either of these images. (Enjoy the big game)

Discussion Starter: Padded bras for preschool girls

While visiting pbsparents the other day, my wife saw an article talking about protecting your little girls from growing up too fast and avoiding a sexualized childhood. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Helen recently wrote asking me for help dealing with the aftermath of the "High School Musical" birthday party her 5-year-old daughter had recently attended. At the party, the girls dressed up in fancy clothes and were taught how to do a special [i.e., sexy] dance by the high school-aged cousin of the birthday girl. After the HS Musical cake, the girls broke the HS Musical piñata to get their party favors -- temporary tattoos of the film's characters. The children did a special performance of the HS Musical dance when parents arrived to pick them up.

Helen's daughter loved the party and quickly started pleading to see the HS Musical movies. On a recent trip to a mass market store, her daughter kept pointing to the movie's products and got especially excited about the padded bra and bikini underpants set "in her size!" And she continued to practice her HS Musical dance both at home and in public places like the mall.

Here is another discussion I found on the topic.

My little girl is not even 6 months old yet, so I haven't had to deal with any of this stuff up to this point in my parenting. But I know that day will come sooner than I expect (and even sooner if this is an actual trend taking place around the country).

What are your thoughts on this trend? Have you noticed it with any of your children? And is it anything new or has it been this way for a while?

How does this type of sexualized childhood affect a church's children's ministry? Should it?

You can use this article to start discussion with your students about sex, beauty, self-image, how culture affects how we see ourselves, pressure, marketing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Trivia Wednesday #104: Sonnets

answer #103 - true

question #104 - How many lines are usually in a sonnet?

5 Ways to Use the Super Bowl in Youth Ministry

Then end of the football season means the Super Bowl is almost here. And for youth ministers that can mean the potential to connect with a greater number of students. There are several things you can do within your youth ministry to connect to the Super Bowl "hype." Take one or more of these ideas and use it within your ministry. And I'd love to hear what effect it has on your ministry.



5 ideas for using the Super Bowl in your youth ministry.
1. Host a Super Bowl Party
This includes finding a house with enough room to hold the students a big enough TV for everyone to watch. Or you could hold it at church if you have the room/technology.

Supplies:

• Food (I suggest pizza and chips & dip for sure)
• TV or multiple TVs
• Devotion or something for halftime
• Handout, trivia questions and ideas or quiz sheet
  
• prizes for winners of score contest. halftime and end of game
• prizes for contest sheet winners
• plastic silverware, cups, plates

2. Create your own Super Bowl Commercial Contest.
Have the students come up with a 30 second commercial that they want to air during the Super Bowl. You could either have them make up a product or use a real one. You will want to set obvious guidelines; language and such. Have them turn the commercials early enough to give you time to watch them and get them ready be viewed. My suggestion is that you watch them during halftime of the game. Plus you can put them on your group's YouTube, Vimeo, or webpage - that way the students can watch them over and over again.

3. Discuss why the Super Bowl is such a big deal.
Take some time before the big game and talk about why this is the biggest sporting event all year.

4. Participate in the Souper Bowl outreach event.
This is a great way to raise some money and help out a local soup kitchen. Go to the website to find out more and get your students involved. Get all of your downloadable resources here that you'll need to promote.

5. Use the commercials to start discussion on a number of topics.
After the Super Bowl, you could take a few weeks and steer some discussion to the topics brought up during the commercials. Or use the commercials as illustrations or intro material for the your messages.


How do you use the Super Bowl in your ministry? What have you done in the past? We'd love to hear some of your past highlights, please leave a comment to share with the youth ministry community.

Photo Friday: Chuck Norris Action Figure?

This was an action figure I found last week while I was home. A few people in my family told me it was Chuck Norris. I can kinda see it, but am skeptical of this. What do you think? Is this a Chuck Norris action figure?

Best of 2008: Middle School Ministry Books

Earlier this week, I posted my top 3 youth ministry books of 2008. I left these 3 books off that list because they are specific to middle school ministry. A good resource for middle school ministry is something I am always on the lookout for, so I wanted to highlight these three to help anyone else looking for something specific to middle school ministry.


Top 3 Middle School Ministry Books of 2008:
1. My Friends by Kurt Johnston & Mark Oestreicher
This is 1 of 6 books in the middle school survival series by Youth Specialties. This book is written for middle schoolers and I highly recommend you make it available for them to read. You can also use it to help with ideas for lessons or messages you are giving to middle school students. And there are sidebars full of random facts that will be useful for those moments you need something to say, but don't know what to say.

2. Living with Questions by Dale Fincher
I used this book for a middle school small group this past year. It took a few weeks to get them into a groove, but once those first weeks were over it really started to connect with them. It started some great conversations (both in small group and out of small groups). They started talking about some of the topics on their own and really started to wrestle with the issues. This was a great resource and I would recommend it for anyone doing a middle school small group. And it is a great refresher for youth ministers, too.

3. Manga Messiah by Next Ministries
I haven't read too many manga comics, but I have to say this one caught my attention from the start. This manga is a retelling of Jesus' life, from birth to resurrection. The events are in chronilogical order, not organized by Gospel order. I reviewed Manga Messiah for YMX. If you haven't seen this book yet, you need to check it out. Plus there is one other Manga available in the series now - Manga Metamorphosis (and Manga Mutiny available in Japan, English version is supposed to be out soon)


What middle school ministry books did I miss?

Trivia Wednesday #103: Beavers

answer #102 - 1904

question #103 - True or False? A beaver's teeth are mainly orange.

Best of '08: Youth Ministry Books

Next up in the "Best of 2008" series is my favorite youth ministry books of 2008. I thought this was going to be really tough to narrow down to a few books. It seemed like I read a lot this year, but it turns out that I did not read as many youth ministry specific books as I thought I did. What follows is the top 3 youth ministry books I read this year.

Best of 2008: Youth Ministry Books
1. Mission Trips from start to finish by Lynne Ellis & Doug Fields
In terms of practicality, this was the best book I read last year. Simple to follow. Full of reproducible information. This book not only helps a youth worker better understand and answer the big questions, but it provides some great detail information. If you are participating in a mission trip with your youth, this resource needs to be on your desk as you start the planning process.

2. Ministry Mutiny by Greg Stier
When this book first came out, it peeked my interest. But I never got around to actually reading it until this year. We used Ministry Mutiny as part of the mentorship program Tim started via his blog. A lot of the topics dealt with are topics just about every youth worker will face in his/her ministry. One of the benefits of reading it as part of the mentorship program was that I got to discuss each chapter with a fellow youth worker who was just getting started in ministry. I recommend this book to anyone in youth ministry; you may not agree with everything Greg says (I hope you don't) but you will find yourself rethinking your ministry. (Look for a more indepth review to show up on this blog in the next month or so.)

3. Getting Students to Show Up by Jonathan McKee
This is a great book to use when you are thinking about your next outreach event or even your weekly meeting. Since I have already reviewed this book (and given away a free copy), I will not repeat myself. You can see my review by going to this post or over to this review at YMX.

One youth ministry book that was close to making the list was YM 3.0 by Marko. I am not completely finished with it, so I didn't think it was fair to add it to the list - it'll probably be on the 2009 list. Later this week, I'll be posting my favorite middle school ministry books of 2008, so if you think theire is a middle school book left off the list, that could be why.


How did I do? What were your favorite youth ministry books of 2008?


Other "Best of 2008" Posts:
Non-Youth Ministry Books
Music
Websites

Photo Friday: 80's Knight Rider Lunchbox

I found this old lunchbox in a box of old stuff at my parent's house. It was my brother's and I forgot we had it. I thought you might enjoy a blast from the 1980's.

Did you have an old lunchbox like this growing up? If so, what was it?

Trivia Wednesday #102: New Year's Eve in Times Square

answer #101 - Alabama became the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday in 1836.

question #102 - In what year was the first-ever official celebration of New Year's Eve on Times Square?

Reflections on: Christmas vacation

This trip home has been different than those of the past. Maybe it has something to do with the 3 kids, or maybe its that I'm getting older. I bet its a combination of these two, plus many other factors. This year has been the first time in 7 years that we've been with our extended families on Christmas. Our first Christmas as a married couple we were in GA and did not go home due to my church responsibilities. That year, we traveled home for Christmas in January. We kept that tradition up for the next six years (and depending on where I end up in ministry we will probably do it again in the future).

But this year, we were able to travel to see family on Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family, at my grandpa's. This has been the celebration day for my family for as long as I remember. It was so great to be there with a lot of my family. Then on Christmas, we drove up to be with Amy's family for Christmas night. It was the first time I remember driving on Christmas day, a lot more people than I thought there would be. Another fun night with family.

Here are some of my reflections on this Christmas trip:

1. Family & friends mean more than gifts. Gifts are great, but I would much rather spend time with people I love and not get a gift from them. The gifts stop working or you lose interest, but the people need to be cherished.

2. Travel with 3 kids is exponentially different than 2 kids. It can be stressful to travel with 2 kids, but adding the 3rd changes everything. It becomes so much more difficult to get everyone to travel in the same sequence, so to speak. Trips that should take 4 hours, can take at least 5 hours. Make sure to enjoy ever moment, though.

3. Always leave room in your vehicle for the return trip. On a Christmas trip, with little kids, you will most likely return home with more stuff than you left with.

4. Busy schedule -> stress -> miscommunication. Vacations can bring out the worst opportunities to stay connected to your spouse. If you do not take the time to talk with your spouse, then you won't be given that time.

5. Talking with your family is extra important on vacations. See #4. When you are with your family (the extended kind) do not just sit around and watch TV. Take the time to talk about topics that are important, talk about faith, talk about your family history, talk about parenting. You do not get these opportunities very often, so take advantage of them.

6. A lot can happen in a year. Since last Christmas a lot has happened in my life, and being home reminded me of just how much. Last year on Dec. 28th, my grandma passed away. In April, I started looking for a new ministry. In May, I stopped ministering at my church. In July, my first daughter (third child) was born. In September, she had hernia surgery. In October I turned 30. Over the last 7 months, I have been constantly amazed at how God provides for and takes care of my family. I can't wait to see what next year holds.

7. All good vacations come to an end. No matter how good a vacation you have, it has to end. You have to return to your daily routine. You have to get back to work. Hopefully, for those working in churches, this is not a bad thing. If you are passionate about what you do for a living, then you will be just as excited to return to that work.

bonus: some guy at church had a dog with him. It was weird to see him walk out with his dog in his arms. On the bright side, the dog never made a sound during the entire service.


What was your favorite moment from your Christmas vacation?

Best of '08: Websites

I use the internet a lot in both ministry and my personal life. The more I use the 'net, the more I find I tend to use the same websites for a majority of my needs. I guess you could say I become a creature of habit, I won't be offended. I like trying new sites and venturing to other corners of the web, but if a website works for what I need why would I stop using it?

According to what I needed most this year, here are my favorites.

Best of 2008: Websites:
Facebook (personal/ministry) - Facebook was a great website to not only stay connected to students, but also to connect with other friends. You can stay connected to students no matter where you in relationship to where they are (ie, even if you move away or go on vacation you can keep up to date with what they are doing). You can be my friend by going to my profile.

Twitter (personal) - Twitter is a fun way to stay connected with friends in 140 characters or less. You can tweet from the website, your phone, or using a number of apps. I discussed a couple twitter applications over a year ago, check out some of the apps you can get to enhance your twitter experience. My favorite application is Tweetdeck, here is my tweetdeck review. I really love the ability to know what people are doing, hear stories of their youth ministries and something just laugh. You can follow me by going to my profile.

Youth Ministry Exchange (ministry) - YMX has a great forum community, some great articles and reviews and a few other youth ministry specific resources. (and every once and awhile you can see a review I write show up)

YouthMinistry.com (ministry) - A great collection of articles, freebies and other resources. There is a lot of great content on here. I think they'll publish anything, though (based on the fact that I've got some articles on there). Seriously, though, if you are in youth ministry, you need to check out this site.

Blogger (ministry/personal) - I use this site for both my ministry blog and my personal family blog. I like blogger's ease of use and relatively small learning curve. Its a great site for beginning bloggers to get their feet wet. It is not the only option out there, but I have not had many problems or complaints - so I keep using it.

PBSKids.com (personal) - Now that my oldest son is 4 1/2, we've been spending a lot more time online with him. PBSkids is a great site for us, it has a bunch of the shows he loves and has some pretty good games for him to play or activities he can do on his own. If you have little kids, you need to check this site out.

Google.com (personal/ministry) - I use google for email (gmail.com), blog statistics (analytics), searching (google.com), writing (google docs), and maps. I'm on the verge of using it for my blog reader, too (google reader). There are so many ways to use google in your minsitry, which will help streamline your online presence. I won't spend any more time talking about it, if you want to know more just leave a comment or email me.

Hulu.com (personal) - Because I am a father of 3 young children, I do not get to watch much TV when it airs. Neither my wife nor I watch much of anything on TV, unless it is a cartoon or something the boys also want to watch. So, we watch most of our TV online after it airs. We usually use hulu.com to do this. It is so easy to use and navigate and has great quality and quantity of content. And they have a growing collection of movies to watch, too. For me, this is a much better alternative to paying for some form of cable or dish.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone.

For everyone who went to church last night, hope you enjoyed the Christmas Eve service last night.

Have a great day and enjoy some time with your family and friends. May God remind you of His love for you this season.

Trivia Wednesday #101: Christmas

answer #100 - March is national frozen food month.

question #101 - Which state was the first to recognize Christmas as an official holiday?

Hello Winter... Youth Ministry Style

Sunday (Dec 21) was the first day of winter and that means youth ministries around the US (b/c those youth ministries in Australia, for example, are currently enjoying summer) will be transitioning to a winterized version of youth ministry. Some aspects of youth ministry do not change, but anything that involves the outdoors has to change. Here are some of my favorite winter youth ministry games, events, ideas and more.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware that my friends in places like CA, GA, or FL do not need to make these adjustments because it does not get that cold or snow that much. And for that I say ":-P"

Winterized Youth Ministry:
Free Version...
1. Sledding. Just take your group, or have them meet, to a local hill. You can spend hours just sledding down and walking back up the hill. You can do something organized like races or just let everyone do what they want.

2. Build Snowmen/Snowball fights. If you get enough snow, build snowmen. This would be a great opportunity for some good video and/or pictures of the group. Have a themed-snowman competition, see who can build the largest... The snowball fights will just come naturally.

3. Shovel snow. Take a day and drive around town shoveling people's driveways and sidewalks. This is a great service project. It will help your group bond together, while doing people a wonderful service. Make sure you have enough shovels, gloves, hats, etc.

4. Outdoor Ice Skating. Depending on your area, this might be a great time to go ice skating or play ice hockey. This is one event that might just draw a smaller crowd, but it will be a fun day together.

5. Any excuse to serve hot chocolate. Find any reason to get the group together to drink hot chocolate. This might be a great addition to one of your outdoor events or just something you do as a stand-alone event. Make sure you have marshmallows (and I suggest the mini ones).

6. Special parties. During this season, most youth ministries will have their Christmas parties and New Year's Eve parties. Maybe you should have a "_______" party (fill in with whatever you want) just to have a party. This is a great time to give the students something to do, since they can't go outside. (obviously, be mindful of the family time activities this time of year)

7. Ice Sculpting. If you have a large amount of ice this is the perfect time to use it. Even if you just have a small amount of ice, set aside a time to let students sculpt it. Allow them to be creative and just make it fun.


Non-Free Version...
1. Skiing. Most students love to go skiing, but do not get to go often. Plan a ski trip with your group. Or if you live close to a ski resort, schedule regular days (or at least some days) that are official youth group ski days.

2. Indoor Ice Skating. Take the group to go ice skating at an ice rink. Depending on the size of the group you can get discounts or even rent the entire rink.

3. Broomball. Rent an ice rink for a few hours of broom ball. You play hockey with broomsticks, only tennis shoes, and a ball. It is a lot of fun. But be careful, as people will fall.

4. Trip to warmer weather. Take your group to warmer weather. Probably want it to be within driving distance, but I hear Hawaii is nice this time of year.


Those are a few of my ideas for a winterized youth ministry. What have you done in the winter that has worked or what other suggestions would you have? Leave a comment with your ideas.

Photo Friday: Camp Fire

I thought you guys might need some reminders of warmth during these last few days of Fall.

Take these pictures and use them for backgrouds or event promotion or anything else you want. Just don't make money from it, please give me credit and I'd love to hear what/how you are using them.

What is your favorite part of a campfire?

Mine is the quiet atmosphere a nice campfire creates.

Best of 2008: Music

I found some good music this past year. One of the groups to make my list is brand new, two groups have been around for a couple years, one is a new album from my favorite band and one is a new solo album from the lead singer in one of my other favorite bands.


Best of 2008: Music

1. Jon Foreman
The frontman for Switchfoot put together a collection of EP's this past year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer). Each EP has six songs, but two EP's come together (Fall & Winter, Spring & Summer). You'll love the strong lyrics, fresh vocals and overall sound. If you haven't listened to this music, yet - you need to.

2. Robbie Seay Band - Give Yourself Away
This is an excellant album. I really enjoyed their first album (Better Days), but honestly this one is a ton better. I got a copy of the album for free from Relevant and have been recommending it to anyone who will listen. You can go to iTunes and download the entire album for $8 right now. If you are a fan of American Idol, you'll recognize "Rise" from some of the promos from last season. Go to iTunes and download it now!!

3. Third Day - Revelation
There are only a couple CD's that Thriday Day has released that I can not listen to all the way through. This might be one of my favorites (not as good as their self-titled freshman album, but close). Call My Name is one of the best songs I have heard all year. If you don't know who Third Day is, then might I recommend you take some time to listen on their site (Thief is my favorite). If you haven't heard this album yet, you will want to listen. (and they have a new album coming out early 2009)

4. Leeland - Opposite Way
This is another great sophomore album. "Count Me In" is a strong song with some intense lyrics. One thing I like about Leeland is the fact that they are a fun band. Whether its a concert, their website or even an album - you can sense their joy for life in everything they do. You will not be disappointed with this album. I got mine for $5, the best $5 I spent on music all year.

5. Connersvine - Connersvine
This last group was introduced to my wife, who passed them on to me. Its just two guys (I think one's name is Conner and the other is Vine - wow that was a bad attempt at a joke). They have a great sound and lyrics you have to pay attention to. I especially like "Glory Be" and "Hosanna". You can go to this site and download a free mp3 and chord chart. My guess is that you have not heard of Connersvine, but if you start listening to one new group this week - make it Connersvine.

6. This is Home by Switchfoot. Off the Prince Caspian Soundtrack.


What is your favorite music from 2008?

Trivia Wednesday #100: Your Favorite Random Fact

answer #99 - Nursery School Teacher

question #100 - What is your favorite random trivia fact?

Today's question is a little different, to celebrate it being question #100. This one is all about you, the reader.

Book Review: The Truth About You by Marcus Buckingham

Marcus Buckingham has put together a toolkit to help readers discover their strengths. The toolkit has three parts; an enhanced DVD, an interactive book, and a ReMemo pad. The goal of this toolkit is to create a more interactive experience for the reader. It also provides a chance for the reader to receive the same message/ideas in multiple formats. Finally, this toolkit format leaves the reader without an excuse to not learning what her strengths and weaknesses are and apply that knowledge to her job.

I enjoyed the video format, a mixture of Buckingham speaking into the camera and footage of a boy finding his strengths, and found it easy to connect with the ideas. If you pay attention to the video, you'll notice that most of the thoughts are found throughout the book. This repetition helped me process the connection between what he was saying and my own personal situation. The concepts are fairly simple, so the book is easy to follow (which makes it a pretty quick read).

Overall, The Truth About You is a good resource for anyone who is not satisfied with her current job situation or feels like there is a better way to use her talents. The biggest complaint with this toolkit, along with most other business books, is the price ($30), which seems high to me. If you can afford the cost or can get a copy from a friend, it is worth your time to go through this well-developed toolkit.

My advice (rating) – borrow from a friend (3 out of 5)

Best of 2008: Non-Youth Ministry Books

This is the first post in a series of posts on the "Best of 2008." This year has been a tough year for me, no many levels, but despite all of the downsides it has been a blessed year. As the year comes to a close, I thought I would take some time to share some thoughts on this year. More specifically, these are my thoughts on some of the highlights of my year. Let's just start with one of my favorite things: books.

I read a lot of books this year. This year, it seems I read a high percentage of non-youth ministry related books. This was good. You could call these books for my soul, and nurturing the soul is a very important task. What follows is my list of the best non-youth ministry books I read this year. Some of these books were published in 2008, others were not. Regardless of when they were written/published, these are the best books I read this year that are not directly related to youth ministry. I highly recommend each of them to anyone looking for something new to read.


Best of 2008: Non-Youth Ministry Books:
1. Signature Sins by Michael Mangis
This is a book I read to review for YMX. I am so glad I got this book to review, because I probably would not have found it otherwise. (I'll post a link to the review when its posted over at YMX) A few weeks ago, I posted on a quote in the book that put youth ministers in a negative light. The purpose of this book is summed up by these two quotes from the first chapter. "We do not sin at random. Our sin takes a consistent and predictable course." And "When we allow struggles to turn us toward God we redeem the brokenness."

2. Addiction & Grace by Gerald May
I know it was not written this year, but I just got around to reading it. To be honest, I started reading this a few years ago and then put it down. I am so glad I picked it back up and finished it this year. To be completely honest, I read an original version and not the new updated one that came out a few years ago. I posted two quotes from this book this year - go here and here to read those quotes.

Gerald May does an excellant job discussing the multiple aspects of addiction; physical, mental and spiritual. There is a lot of great, practical information within this book. Another must read for every youth worker. It will help you better understand/help anyone you know who is dealing with an addiction.

3. the dip by Seth Godin
This little book (76 pages) came out the end of 2007, but I didn't get around to reading it until the first of this year. This is a book on quitting. Quitting the right things at the right time, in order to focus on not quitting the stuff you need to stick with. Making it to the end involved making it through the dip - that tough part of the journey which causes most people to give up on their goal. The connection for youth ministers (and any church leader) is clear. In order to make it to your goal (your vision for your ministry) you have to make it through the dip. You will have to quit some "programs" in order to not quit on your goal.

Its worth the read, and it shouldn't take you more than an hour or so to read. To read some of my thoughts on one particular quote, on longevity, read this post.

4. free refill by Mark Atteberry
I got this book from Mark a little over a year ago. Over the years, there have been times where I have felt empty in my faith. I have needed more Jesus, to be filled up. Atteberry has written a book filled with examples of biblical people who were refilled. You will find encouragement within these pages and get a little glimpse of how much Jesus wants you to be filled up with his love.

I posted a quote on Jesus' love earlier this year, go to this post to read it. And when you are done, go to the store (or internet bookstore) and get a copy of this book to read the whole thing.


Those are the best non-youth ministry books I read in 2008. What were your favorite non-youth ministry books from 2008?

Photo Friday: Church at Night

A simple, small church building at night.

Trivia Wednesday #99: Princess Diana

answer #98 - Video Killed the Radio Star

question #99 - What was Princess Diana's profession before she married Prince Charles?

25 White Elephant Gift Exchange gift ideas

Last week, I wrote that one idea for this Christmas season is to do a white elephant gift (WEG, as I like to call it) exchange at a Christmas party. As I thought back over my youth ministry career so far, I remembered quite a few good WEG ideas. So, being the generous person I am - I am posting some of the better gifts I can remember.

Disclaimer: in the case of a WEG, "better" does not always mean "better" in the normal sense. Just keep that in mind as you read the list.

25 White Elephant Gift Ideas:
1. a slice of cheese
2. two stuffed pig dolls
3. a broken "don't spill the beans" game
4. various cds (dishwalla, mercy me, a couple compilations)
5. a vhs version of any movie
6. mark twain paperback
7. 10 random buttons
8. $1 bill (which by the way no one really seemed to want)
9. a mp3 player (it will be a gift most people want)
10. headphones (nothing else)
11. Winnie the Pooh backpack
12. A Casey's top 40 record from 1983 (probably need an old DJ for this one)
13. a plethora of a charity's (like relay for life) material (buttons, stickers, cups)
14. 101 things you need to know book
15. a used sippy cup
16. girl scout cookies and hot chocolate (another item people will actually want)
17. random items from your desk (works best if its a student's desk)
18. a dance instruction vhs tape
19. potpourri (any shape or form)
20. a mostly burnt candle
21. a manual ice cream maker
22. some of your old school papers (for the adults)
23. Britney Spears cassette tape (a few kids didn't even know what a cassette was)
24. one coaster
25. a pink t-shirt that says "Britney's competition" (I'm wearing it in the picture)

There are 25 ideas to get you started. One of my favorite WEG moments came a few years ago. My wife reminded of it recently, because it is her favorite WEG memory. We had a new student, the Christmas party was her first event, and she brought a really nice bath set. Somehow the communication of what kind of gift to bring was lost and she actually brought a nice gift. The best part was the gift she left with, though. At the end of the night, she left with a plastic fork. Classic youth ministry moment. A moment that brings a smile to my face every time I think of it.

Photo Friday: The Nativity... with one change

I took this picture as my boys were playing with our Little People Nativity Set. At first glance, everything seems normal. But if you look a little closer, Baby Jesus has been replaced by someone else. Did you notice who it was?

5 Christmas Season Ideas for Youth Ministry

December means Christmas. And in youth ministry that means a busy schedule (or the possibility of a busy schedule this month). There are so many good things to do with your students during December, but I thought I'd share just a few of my favorites.


Here are 5 ideas for your Christmas youth ministry season...

1. Christmas Party with a white elephant gift exchange.
Plan a party at one of the student's houses. Play some games, eat food, share stories or anything else you want. But you have got to do a white elephant gift exchange. It always provides a ton of laughs and some great memories.

2. Caroling.
Take the students around town, visiting some of the new families at the church. Or go to the nursing home or homes of some of the adults who can't get out much.

3. Bake cookies, then deliver them around the neighborhood.
This might be more geared toward the girls in your group, but its not limited to just girls. We always bake one day and then deliver a day or two later. This activity will help build the community within your students and it will help them get out and serve the community. Plus the community gets some homemade cookies and desserts.

4. Snow shoveling.
No one wants to shovel their walk or driveway, so why not let your students do it for them. Not only is it a way to serve, it usually turns into a fun time for the youth.

5. Sledding & snowball fights (or other classic winter events).
These are just for fun and to build community within your ministry.

No matter which of these events you do, make sure you take pictures and video. You will be able to use that media in so many ways throughout the year.

What other ideas would you consider essential to a good Christmas season?

Trivia Wednesday #98: MTV

answer #97 - Alaska

question #98 - Name the first song ever played on MTV.

NYWC '08: Picture Tour

I did not take many pictures this year, I guess I was too busy enjoying the convention. The picture tour is in no way a complete picture of what a National Youth Workers Convention is like, but it'll give you a sense of what my week entailed.

Picture Tour highlights: 1. Zaxby's on the way down. 2. Some guy on a really tall bike I saw when I got into Nashville. 3. Youth workers starting to arrive at registration. 4. One of my fellow volunteers, Dan. 5. Stage being set up. 6. Heather and Karen doing some serious Resource Center work - getting stuff ready to bag the freebies. 7. Youth workers signing up for Compassion sponsorship. 8. Giving away the freebie bags before the 4th session. 9. Arena full of youth workers. 10. Zamboni Crossing (need I say more). 11. Crowder leading worship. 12. Starfield leading worship. 13/14. Doing my part to write one verse in the Bible Across America. 15. Mike Pilavachi sharing his version of some of Jesus' miracles. 16. Worshipers. 17. Working in the Resource Center. 18. Breakfast with the convention staff on Monday. 19/20. Adam doing his podcast thing. 21-23. Packing up the Resource Center and saying "goodbye" to other volunteers. 24. View from the elevator going down, marking a close to the convention.