Journey of starting a new ministry - week 2

(Over the next few months, maybe longer, I will be writing weekly posts on my journey of starting a new youth ministry position. The focus will be on general tips and suggestions for any youth minister starting a new position, but I will add-in moments specific to my situation. My goal is to offer advice to help other youth ministers and not write an online journal of my own personal experiences. In order to make this series of articles as beneficial as I can, I would appreciate your feedback and thoughts. And remember as you read about my journey in a new youth ministry that every situation is different; therefore, these ideas are just ideas and suggestions. You need to know your church culture and adjust your week-by-week to fit those needs.)


Week 2
I’m not exactly sure how long it takes to get settled into a new ministry, but I don’t think it’s two weeks. While I believe you get used to each part of the ministry on different levels and at different speeds, I wish it all came faster. Over the past week, I have had at least a dozen people ask me, “So, you getting settled in yet?” I know this is simply part of the normal process of moving and starting a new job (and I bet the questions will stop within a week or two) but I am left to wonder what specifically they mean by their question. Do they want to know if I’m getting settled into my office or into the overall culture of the congregation?

This week my goal has been to finish getting settled into the office. I believe this is an important step early in your ministry for a couple reasons. 1) It is easier to work in an organized and clean office. (Hopefully, you will keep it that way, too) 2) When people stop by to talk, they will see a clean office. And seeing a clean youth minister’s office helps people understand that you, the youth minister, take your job seriously. 3) Once you really get into the rhythm of ministry, you will not regularly take the time to clean your office - you’ll be too busy doing what you love to do. 4) There are people who will be more willing to support you and your ministry when your office does not look like a junior high locker room.

This does not mean that you lock yourself in your office and refuse to come out. There are still people to see and probably meetings to attend. And depending on how busy your office is, or how long you’ve been in ministry, it might take you a few weeks to get settled in. Most of my second week in the office was quiet, since the sr. minister is on the mission trip, so I have been able to get most of the boxes unpacked and put away. One of the last things I have yet to do is put up all of my “memories” - the trinkets and knick-knacks I’ve collected over the years and display proudly around the office.

For my second Sunday, I was able to spend more time meeting and talking with people. I did not teach, so I was able to sit in a few more classes. I stayed in the high school room for Sunday School (my goal is to spend a month in each Sunday School class before I move to another one). Seeing that I oversee all ages from 2 years old to high school, I sat in on the 2’s and 3’s class during Jr. Church. During the first few months, I really want to get a better sense of what the classes are like and how each teacher is different from the others. I know this is something that will take much longer to fully grasp, but it is important to get a good understanding early in ministry.

This week, I was able to get involved “up front” a little bit. A group of students and adults left on Sunday to go on a mission trip, so during the the beginning of our Sunday School we took time to pray for them as a congregation. I was asked to be one of the prayers. I was honored they asked me and more than happy to participate.

I wanted to start meeting with people this week. I was able to meet with two local ministers (a sr. minister and a youth minister) over lunch. I am looking forward to being able to work together and minister alongside each other over the years. I was hoping to meet with one of the youth coaches this week, but it didn’t happen. I’ll try again next week - there are plenty of people to meet with.

Week 2 Bulletpoints:
- finish unpacking office
- look over upcoming calendar of events
- start talking with students & parents
- learn more about the youth coaches

Goals of the near future:
- one “big” event for each age group planned
- meet with others in charge
- spend more time with students (outside of Sunday events)

-------------------

Previous weekly perspectives: week 1

to quote someone else: generosity (Gordon Macdonald)

"Never forget what someone has done for you; never remember what you have done for others."

taken from Secrets of the Generous Life by Gordon Macdonald

I think this is a great principle to live by, the only problem is that it is not always easy. It can be difficult to forget "how many" times you have helped someone when they need it again. But if you want to live generously, you will.

Secrets of the Generous Life is a great devotional, you need to get a copy and go through it.

Journey of starting a new ministry - week 1

(Over the next few months, maybe longer, I will be writing weekly posts on my journey of starting a new youth ministry position. The focus will be on general tips and suggestions for any youth minister starting a new position, but I will add-in moments specific to my situation. My goal is to offer advice to help other youth ministers and not write an online journal of my own personal experiences. In order to make this series of articles as beneficial as I can, I would appreciate your feedback and thoughts. And remember as you read about my journey in a new youth ministry that every situation is different; therefore, these ideas are just ideas and suggestions. You need to know your church culture and adjust your week-by-week to fit those needs.)

Week 1
As with any new job, there is no time to slowly ease into a new ministry. We were supposed to pull our moving truck into our rented house about 5 pm. This was the time we told people we would be there, and the time they agreed to help us unload. To make it to our destination on time, we allowed ourselves 8 hours to get from point A (old home in southern IL) to point B (new home in NW OH). In a car this trip would take about 6 hours. On this day, with people waiting for us, the trip took nearly 10 hours. Yes, we were almost 2 hours late for our arrival.

When we finally arrived, most of the people were still there to help unload. One noticeable absence was the senior minister. He was planning on being there, but had to go to the hospital to be with one of the members and her family. It turned out that this very time we were arriving at a new ministry, the church family had lost a dear friend. And so, less than a week “on the job” and I attended my first visitation and funeral for a member of the congregation. A sad reminder that life does not ever “pause” for anything.

My first few days in the office were spent rearranging the furniture and trying to unpack all of my boxes - let’s just say I have a book collection. There are 14 shelves for my books and I still need more. With my first week over, I can say that my office is mostly unpacked (there are still 8 boxes with folders/binders/books in them that have nowhere to go) and I’m starting to get settled in. My first week in the office has been more than just unpacking boxes; I’ve been able to meet with the senior minister and start thinking about the fall kickoff and the next school year. I know I can’t wait too long to start dreaming and planning.

My first official Sunday as the youth minister was a full one. During the first service, I was able to teach one of the jr. church classes. I was filling in for the teacher who was on vacation (and I’m glad I was able to). The only thing that went wrong was that we ran out of time and didn’t get to finish one of our projects. Then during Sunday School, I sat in on the high school class. This was a good chance to get to learn more about the students. I am planning on floating around the various Sunday School classrooms for the first several months. This will give me a chance to see what is currently taking place and to see the students and teachers interact. The second service was a chance for me to be a part of the service without having any responsibilities. Following the second service, we had a carry-in meal and some games - for a July 4th celebration. These activities are always fun and I’m glad we were here to participate. On this day, I played ladderball - won, played corn hole - lost, participated in a water balloon toss - got wet.

Overall, this week I have been trying to learn names. I would like to say that I have a good grasp on all of them, but at this point I’m not quite there. I am working my way through the list of teachers, sending each one a “thank you” note. I started sending this out before we moved with the hopes of getting them all out before the move, but it did not work out that way. I am also starting to organize information about the students and get all of the info into one place. This will take time, but I know if I can get it going early in my ministry that it will save me time and energy later. Outside of ministry stuff, my wife and I are working on making all of the necessary changes that go with moving: insurance, retirement, licenses, mailing address changes, finding a house, utilities and phones.

There is one more thing I have worked on during my first week in a new youth ministry: my family time. I have intentionally made time to be with my family at night (ie. no work stuff at home). I know this is important and I know it needs to be a habit, one I start early. This new schedule has been a tough adjustment for my kids - over the past two years they have gotten used to me being home a little bit more. I am very thankful for all of the time I get to spend with my wife and kids and I want to make sure I continue to have time with them every day.

Week 1 Bulletpoints:

• work on organizing office
• meet with other staff
• be flexible
• start planning
• gather student's info
• start learning names
• think/pray about the ministry
• implement your normal office hours and day off
  

Goals of the near future:

• youth coach meeting
• one-on-one meetings with youth coaches
• finish putting stuff away (ie. getting rid of all boxes)
• ideas for Fall Kickoff and school year
• find new curriculum for jr. church
• spend time with youth/families
  

Movie Review: Read & Share Bible (Life & Miracles) DVD

As I watched the Read and Share Bible: Life and Miracles DVD with my family, one thing stood out to me. As a parent and a youth minister, I really liked the fact that each story flowed with the others. Watching this DVD helps kids get a better understanding of how each story in the Bible goes with the one before and the one after. The continuous action reinforces to those watching the movie that the Bible is not just a collection of stories, but one big continual story broken up into smaller stories.

But this strength also leads to the one negative I have about the movie. There are a few times that the movie takes a creative look at aspects of the stories not specifically mentioned in the Bible. There are moments when we see Judas being shown in a part of the story not talked about in Scripture. In other stories, there is added dialogue that is not written down in the Gospels. Is it something that Jesus or the disciples might have said, definitely. But I'd be careful to just let kids watch this movie without explaining that to them. There is no need for kids to grow up thinking this is all written in the Bible, when some of it is merely human imagination.


**I reviewed this DVD as part of the BookSneeze review program**

Trivia Wednesday #171: Characters in All 6 Movies

answer #170 - John Williams (Who wrote the music for the Star Wars movies?)

question #171 - Which Star Wars characters are in all six movies?



--------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Trivia Wednesday #170: Star Wars music

answer #169 - True (True or False Anthony Daniels played & voiced C-3PO in all 6 Star Wars movies, plus the animated Clone Wars episodes?)

question #170 - Who wrote the music for the Star Wars movies?



---------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

(Not so) Practical Graduation Gifts

While there are plenty of good graduation gift ideas out there, I thought you might to see some not-so-practical ideas. None of these gifts are on the same level of non-practical.


1. Super Soaker
2. WWJD bracelet (tye-dye, of course)
3. Pet Rock, with graduation year printed on it
4. WOW '97 CD
5. A few pizzas from your last pizza fundraiser
6. Leftover Mountain Dew from the New Year's overnighter
7. Any Thomas Kinkade print
8. A coffee cup that says "Best Graduate Ever"
9. A Psalty throw pillow


What would you add to this list?

Trivia Wednesday #169: C-3PO

answer #168 - Kenny Baker (In the original Star Wars series, who played R2D2?)

question #169 - True or False Anthony Daniels played & voiced C-3PO in all 6 Star Wars movies, plus the animated Clone Wars episodes?



-------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

May Trivia: Star Wars

In honor of Star Wars Day (May 4th) & the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back, this month's trivia is all about Star Wars.

May 5 - R2-D2
May 12 - C-3PO
May 19 - Star Wars music
May 26 - characters in all 6 movies


How much do you know about Star Wars? Do you have any Star Wars trivia you'd like to ask - just leave it in a comment and we'll see how much I know.


This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Trivia Wednesday #168: R2D2

answer #167 - E is the most, Z is the least (What are the most & least used letters in the English alphabet?)

(In order from most to least used: E T A I S O N H R D L U C M F W Y P G V B K J Q X Z)

question #168 - In the original Star Wars series, who played R2D2?



------------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Book Review: Where is God? by John Townsend

(this is a guest post/review by my wife)

Difficult times can be hard to define. They come in many seasons of our lives, and what may be a struggle for one is considered normal by another. One quality of difficult times that remains constant is that they are guaranteed to happen. The Bible even speaks this truth. Paul tells us to not be surprised when hard times arise. When life is not what we expected, where do we turn? How do we answer questions that arise in our minds and in our hearts? How do you respond when questions are asked of you by others whose lives have tumbled out of control? Dr. John Townsend refers to his many years in the counseling field and his knowledge of scriptures to compile a resource to turn to, not only in the difficult times but also to look at in preparation for the times that are sure to be coming. Where Is God? gives us hope in our dark times, when personal burdens have taken their toll and leave us feeling purposeless.

One aspect of Dr. Townsend's book that I really appreciated is that he clearly states a common reason for our discouragement in the hard seasons of our lives. We have an inaccurate view of God. We cannot see the purpose for our trials until we see the truth of the God who is active in the midst of them. The true God that is presented in scripture is often very different from our misconceived view of God that is often a compilation of our experiences. God's role in our lives is not to prevent trials but rather to use the trials we face for His greater purposes. As Dr. Townsend writes, "He (God) loves you and wants to help you, but He will do it His way and in His time."

There are struggles that we face that will pass. Where is God? will help to point you to the God who is the only hope we have and will give us endurance to persevere. And when the struggles we face are terminal, permanent, and unchanging Dr. Townsend reminds the reader that in Christ we find a deeper hope than simply that the problem will go away (page 67). Ultimately, Christ is the anchor in our storms.

Where is God? is not an answer book in the sense that you walk away with every reason or purpose behind your difficult time. But it does clearly point you to the One who is the answer. It is full of scriptures and examples from Dr. Townsend's experiences that help us to see the reality of our trials. When all else is shaken, He remains. When all else fails us, He remains. When all else is taken, He remains. His goodness, faithfulness, and intimate knowledge of our lives all remain constant. I know I am not alone in needing that reminder.

Every Youth Worker Needs: to be able to write postcards

(Youth ministry is not an easy ministry. And in this series, Every Youth Worker Needs:..., I want to highlight a variety of things that might make your ministry a little easier. This ongoing series will include ministry tips, book suggestions, technology helps, and many other nuggets of advice.)


Most students seem to have one preferred method of communication - text messaging. Many students (as well as adults) use their cell phones to send more text messages then to make phone calls. I know several students who spend 100% of their time on their cell phone just sending text messages. The youth culture is becoming (some areas have already become) focused on instant communication sent using technology. This attachment to technology is exactly the reason why every youth worker needs to be able to write a postcard.

The goal is to regularly connect with students and parents through a postcard. Remember that what you write on one side can (and will) be read by many more people than just the intended audience.


Benefits of writing postcards
1. Shorter length.
A postcard only has a little room for the message, so you do not feel pressure to write more than a paragraph. This allows you to focus on one key point. There will be times that you struggle to even write a postcard, imagine how you would feel if you needed to fill an entire page. You can keep your message short and not feel the need to stretch it out just to fill a certain space.

2. Shows importance.
A written postcard shows the recipient that they are important enough for you to take the extra time to hand write the note and not just send an email. People are accustomed to receiving emails, text messages, and phone calls. Taking the time to do a little extra will reinforce that the person has value as an individual. Writing a postcard is a great way to rise above the normal.

3. Big impact.
Writing a postcard does not take a lot of time; therefore, you get a lot of impact for a small amount of work. You can write three or four postcards in 15 minutes, but the impact will last for years. Remember that emails are quickly deleted or left to collect digital dust, but a hand-written postcard will be kept by most students. And when they find your postcard while cleaning up their room, they will remember more than just the words written - they will remember your impact.

Tips on writing postcards
1. Use printed address labels.
I have found that using printed address labels for most postcards does not take away from the personal touch. (Plus if you are the lead youth worker - making these labels available to your team makes it even easier for them to write postcards.) You can print both the recipient's label and the return address label or you can just print the return address label. Using labels saves a few minutes and helps you keep track of who you have and haven't sent postcards to lately.

2. Use 4x6 pictures as the postcard.
People love to see pictures of themselves. Why not, turn a picture into a postcard? This works great when you are writing about a specific event. Not only are you able to speak into the person's life, but you are also giving them a very tangible memento. Before digital cameras became so popular, it was fairly easy to just use one of your extra printed pictures. Today, you have to go and purposely have the picture printed. This might seem like extra work, but I think it allows you the ability to choose a great picture (and the ability to edit it when needed).

3. Find funny or unique postcards.
Using pictures of the students is great, but sending funny postcards can be just as good. When you are traveling, keep an eye out for unusual postcards. Find postcards with funny pictures that remind you of a student or two. You can find some great postcards at very touristy stores. My favorite postcard was bought from a Hallmark that was going out of business. It said "welcome" on the front and looked like a miniature version of a welcome mat, complete with artificial green grass. I used it to send to visiting students as a follow-up to their visiting our group.

4. Block out time to write.
Schedule time each week to write a few postcards to different students. I have found that if I do not plan on writing notes to students, it will get pushed off. The more I push this task to the bottom of my "to-do" list, the more unlikely I am to do it at all. The easiest way to block out time to write postcards is to find fifteen minutes in your schedule each week. It might be right before your weekly staff meeting, first thing Monday morning, or after you get back from lunch. It does not matter when you schedule postcard time, but you do need to make time for it.

5. Track each sent postcard.
Keep track of who you send each postcard to. I use a printed sheet with each student's name, but you can use excel or another youth tracking software, too. You can track on a monthly basis, but make sure you keep your old records. Use this information to make sure you write at least one postcard to every student on a regular basis. Along with postcards, make sure you are making other contacts with the students and their families.

6. Be specific.
Write an encouraging message or talk about something you saw them do. Do NOT use the postcard to simply promote an upcoming event. This shows that you are more concerned with their attendance than anything else. It is much more effective to keep the note simple and related to one specific event, action, or attitude.


Hand-written postcards are a great youth ministry tool. When was the last time you sent one?

(Every Youth Worker Needs: A Blog Series About Things You Need in Youth Ministry)

TeuxDeux.com - A Few Thoughts

I started using TeuxDeux.com a few months back because I am constantly trying to find new ways to stay organized. Overall, I really like it and think it would benefit other youth workers. Here are some positives and negatives of TeuxDeux:

Positives:
1. Simple.
You see five days across the screen, with the ability to scroll forward or backward one day at a time. There is no extra clutter or ads on the page. <- I really like this aspect. 2. Easy to use.
When you want to add an item to your to-do list, simply type it in on the day you want to accomplish it. It will then be added to the list of items for that day. When you finish the task, you simply click on it and it gets crossed off.

3. Ability to add "someday" items.
At the bottom of the page, you can add items to a list of "someday" things you want to do. This is great for adding items that may not need to be done for months or for making a list of ideas or possibilities.

4. Mobile apps in the works.
According to the FAQ's, there is a mobile app in the works for iPhone and possibly Blackberry. This would make TeuxDeux a better solution for those who are not close to a computer throughout the day.


Negatives:
1. Recurring items.
There is no simple way to add recurring items without manually retyping them into each new day.

2. Only move one day at a time.
Right now, you can only move one day forward and backward, at a time. According to the FAQ's, there is supposed to be a forthcoming feature allowing the ability to jump to a farther off date more quickly. But until that release, you must simply live in the week or sluggishly click one day at a time.


If you need a way to track what needs to be done, I suggest you try out TeuxDeux.com. It's free and easy to use. But if you are still not sure, check out this video:

TeuxDeux Demo from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.

Looking Back: What if there was no Easter?

The other day, I was reminded of a post from 3 years ago entitled: What if there was no Easter? As I looked over it again, I thought I would repost (slightly edited) it today. What do you think life would be like if there was no Easter? Do you think about what it was like before Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection?

---

For the junior high class, we wanted to go about the Easter lesson from a different POV. In preparation, I did some extra study on the Law and what life would be like under it. I, for one, am very glad we can celebrate Easter.

Throughout the class (about every 10 minutes) have the students do something routine. They will do the same thing every time. The goal is to let them gain a better understanding of what the annual sacrifices were like. They will do the same thing over and over and over and will not be able to not do it next time. Do not make it too difficult or time consuming, or you won't have time to do the rest of the study.

We are going to be asking and answering these questions:

What if Jesus had never died on the cross?
What if Jesus had never rose from the grave?
What if we were still under the Law?
What if we choose to live under the Law instead of under Grace?

The hope is that by looking at Easter from this POV, the students will better understand the importance and magnitude of what Jesus did for us.

We'll be looking at Gal. 2&3, Heb. 9, and some various OT passages on the Law

Trivia Wednesday #167: Usage of each letter

answer #166 - Q (What letter does not appear in the name of any of the 50 states?)

question #167 - What are the most & least used letters in the English alphabet?



--------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Trivia Wednesday #166: 50 State Names

answer #165 - "Uncopyrightable" (What 15 letter word can you spell without repeating a letter?)

question #166 - What letter does not appear in the name of any of the 50 states?



----------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

Every Youth Worker Needs: a book genre reading list (or part 2)

(Youth ministry is not an easy ministry. And in this series, Every Youth Worker Needs:..., I want to highlight a variety of things that might make your ministry a little easier. This ongoing series will include ministry tips, book suggestions, technology helps, and many other nuggets of advice.)


Yesterday I said that every youth worker needed to read a variety of literature. Today, I am offering my list of suggested genres that every youth worker should consider reading. Included with each genre is a list of good books that I have read, in case you need something more specific, to help you get started.

1. Leadership
- Visioneering by Andy Stanley
- Fish by Lundin, Paul, Christensen
- The Generosity Factor by Ken Blanchard and Truett Cathy
- Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley
- Mazimizing Your Effectiveness by Aubrey Malphurs
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Dip by Seth Godin

2. General Ministry
- Church Staff Handbook by Harold Westing
- One Size Doesn't Fit All by Gary McIntosh
- Multiple Staff and the Larger Church by Lyle Schaller
- In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

3. Youth Ministry
- Sustainable Youth Ministry by Mark DeVries (my review)
- Purpose Driven Youth Ministry by Doug Fields
- Junior High Ministry by Wayne Rice
- Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry by Doug Fields
- Hurt by Chap Clark

4. Fiction/Classics
- The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy (looks at death & dying)
- Blink by Ted Dekker
- Bleachers by John Grisham
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Hadden

5. Theology/Biblical Study
- Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics by Walter Kaiser and Moises Silva
- 60-Second Guide to Denominations by Shelly Steig
- Simply Christian by N.T. Wright (my review)
- Called to Worship by Vernon Whaley (my review)
- Hidden Worldviews by Steve Wilkens and Mark Sanford

6. Christian Living
- Unquenchable Worshipper by Matt Redman
- Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
- Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconell
- Soul Survivor by Mike Pilavachi
- Restoring Margin to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson & Karen Lee-Thorp

7. Books that make you think
- Addiction and Grace by Gerald May
- flashBANG by Mark Steele
- Me, Myself, and Bob by Phil Vischer (my review)
- free refill by Mark Atteberry
- Culture Making by Andy Crouch (my review)
- Signature Sins by Michael Mangis

8. Humor
- since we all laugh at different things, I'm going to let you find your own books that cause you to chuckle. But you do need to make sure you include this into your reading rotation.

If you need any other ideas, you can find some while browsing through the book reviews from this blog.


(Every Youth Worker Needs: A Blog Series About Things You Need in Youth Ministry)

Every Youth Worker Needs: to read a variety of books

(Youth ministry is not an easy ministry. And in this series, Every Youth Worker Needs:..., I want to highlight a variety of things that might make your ministry a little easier. This ongoing series will include ministry tips, book suggestions, technology helps, and many other nuggets of advice.)

It was not until I was in college that I began to enjoy reading books. While I always completed the required reading, I never read anything else in high school. But sometime early in my college career my love of books was birthed. I believe my acquired fascination with books stemmed from my ability to read books on topics I liked, or maybe I just matured enough to want to learn. Either way, I began to read more books and enjoy the process of reading to learn.

In college, there is so much required reading, you do not have much opportunity to read what you want. So when I started as a full-time youth minister, I thought I would read all of the books I never read, but now wanted to read. I wanted to read books on leadership, ministry, youth ministry, marriage, adolescent development, classic literature, and anything else that peeked my interest. Unfortunately, I found one thing to be true: I did not have any more time to read everything I wanted to then I did in college.

After realizing I could not possibly read everything, I came up with an idea of how I could read the most variety. I would rotate through a list of different genres. Instead of reading multiple youth ministry books in a row, I would rotate from youth ministry to leadership to marriage to ministry, and so on. I never limited myself to a fixed rotation, but allowed flexibility to pick and choose. My main goal was to maintain a variety in the information I was reading. This goal generated from my belief that many people in business, leadership, or ministry were stuck in a book rut. I was seeing a trend where only a few books were getting read and talked about. If a book was popular, it was read, almost regardless of whether the person wanted to read it next or not. All books have the biggest readership within the first few months of release, but the "best sellers" stay on top because of this "bandwagon reading." As you watch what books are being read and talked about, you will notice that it happens with anyone from business executives to stay-at-home mothers.

I am not saying it is wrong to read a book because someone told you it was good. That would be hypocritical of me, since I read and review books for this blog and for Youth Specialties. What I am saying is that I believe youth workers can pigeon-hole themselves into a certain mentality and focus because you only read a narrow spectrum of books. The way you minister is based on a collection of influences, including any mentors, ministry classes you took, conferences and seminars you have attended and the books you have read. If you only read and listen to one method of ministry, you will never question if there is another way to reach students and share God's love. And while you cannot change anything you have learned in the past, you have the ability to choose the books that will influence you in the present.

A few years ago I realized it was not the amount of books that help a youth worker stay sharp, there needs to be variety, as well. As I looked at my "books read" list, I discovered something - my list revolved around one or two main genres (youth ministry and leadership). I needed more variety and I bet you do too. Think about it in terms of your eating habits and nutritional intake. A person cannot eat only Jiffy peanut butter and stay nutritionally healthy. You will not be properly nourished if you refuse to drink milk. But what about people who have allergies? If that is what you are thinking, you have just taken this illustration too far. (No one is allergic to any genre of literature.) But the point can be made that even when you do not eat certain foods high in vitamins, you will supplement by taking daily vitamins. We understand the importance of receiving the vitamins (what is inside the food) even if we do not like the food itself. Yet, youth workers do not always realize the importance of reading a variety of literature in order to obtain knowledge on varying topics.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no knowledge vitamins we can take to supplement our lack of varied reading. No, the only way to gain this assortment of information is to read a variety of books. I have come up with a list of genres I think every youth worker needs to add to their reading rotation, and will post this list tomorrow. Before we get to the genres, allow me to say this: I know you may not be able to read three books from each genre each year. I am not trying to suggest that. What I am suggesting is that you use this list as a starting point and refuse to read two same-genre books in a row.







(Every Youth Worker Needs: A Blog Series About Things You Need in Youth Ministry)

Trivia Wednesday #165: 15 letter word

answer #164 - "set" with 75 definitions (What word has the longest entry in the Webster's dictionary?)

question #165 - What 15 letter word can you spell without repeating a letter?



-----------
This weekly trivia is provided for use within your youth ministry. You can use this random trivia in many ways: use it to start a conversation with a student, add it to your introduction for your lesson or message, include it in your next newsletter or email, or just randomly insert it into your daily conversations. No matter how you decide to use it, I hope this trivia knowledge can be beneficial within your youth ministry.

If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to see used for the trivia questions, just leave a comment and let me know.

"Minute to Win It" - youth ministry game resource

Over the last few weeks, I have watched previews for NBC's new shows. One show in particular caught my attention (and the attention of the rest of the youth ministry world) "Minute to Win It." Basically, contestants have one minute to complete a game using simple household items. If they complete ten games, then they win 1 million dollars. As I watched the commercials, I kept seeing games I have played with my youth groups. One is the "shrinking grocery bag" game (where the bag keeps getting shorter and shorter and you have to pick it up with your teeth.) I like the single player version better than the way I played. At a 30 Hour Famine we played where you went around a circle and everyone tried to pick it up. My version is not nearly as sanitary as the games version.

If you have not heard of "Minute to Win It" you need to check it out. It's on Sunday nights at 7 central. You also need to check out the website for the game. Up until a few days ago, I knew about the game, but I had not realized that the show's website would be a great help to youth workers until I read Youth Ministry Geek's post. You need to go check out the game vault and use a game or two.

Before I hit "publish" I feel I need to offer this word of warning to youth workers everywhere. Please do not saturate the youth ministry world with an abundance of "Minute to Win It" games or retreats or evangelism events. These games will be a great addition to your events, but DO NOT overdue it. I saw it happen with youth ministry versions of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (and many other pop culture things) and students get tired of it.


Remember that moderation is a good thing.

One last comment (question). I know there will be a t-shirt soon based on "Minute to Win It," but I just can't figure out what it will say. Do you have any thoughts?