That’s right- “If and overnighter and a retreat had a baby, this is what it would be.”
We are really excited to be taking 100 Senior High Students and Leaders on what should be one of the coolest, most jam-packed overnight trip to Ft. Wayne… EVER. It all takes place on March 9-10 and you really don’t want to miss it!
During our worship times and group times, we are going to be taking a serious look at Matthew 5:16 and focus in on these words: “Let Your Light Shine.” Come join us!
Here’s how it works:
Friday Night: Komets Hockey Game, Food, Worship, Stay in a Hotel
Saturday Morning: TAWG, Food, Laser Tag
Saturday Afternoon: Food, Worship, Jesus
Saturday Night: Jesus, Food, Jesus
Home by 8:30pm.
This might be the best event for $42 if you sign up by Sunday. The Final Deadline is February 26 and the cost goes up to $50. We are staying in a hotel and it’s going to be an awesome time to bond together and have a ton of fun. If you have questions, email me or send me a facebook message!
Last Wednesday, Derry, at the end of the message portion, offered students the opportunity to respond, by standing, to their recognition of what God was doing in their heart. Many stood in response to the two different opportunities, whether that was to accept a relationship with Him for the first time or to reaffirm a relationship and not the standards of religion. Afterward, I had a leader ask me how to revisit the night, and those decisions, in their small group the next week. I gave her three pointers. Continue reading →
I have been watching the latest viral Christian YouTube video blow up Facebook and Twitter and have been pretty amazed with how quickly this one is popping up and with whom it is popular. The video I am talking about is here:
Let me say it, right away, there is a ton in this video. I affirm a lot of the thoughts that this guy raises in this poem/video. The desires of Jesus was for His followers to have a relationship with Him and to pursue that relationship. In doing so, the Church would grow and ultimately be completed by the work that Christ was doing in those relationships.
But I wonder the motives behind all the re-posts, the many emotional proclamations of affirmation, that I have seen around social media. It is media like this one that attempts to lay out a ton of truth, creatively and in doing so, leaves out definitions and blatant biblical points that would refute the very argument being made. And we humans have an innate ability to spin it up and mess it up and take it to heart without seeking the Spirit and allow it to divide us. I can’t tell you how many blog posts I have seen surrounding this video, breaking down its theological flaws and doctrinal mishaps. And some of them have a point. There are a number of theological and biblical flaws to this guy’s argument. But, in all honesty, that’s really not the problem that I have with the popularity that seems to surround this piece of creative outcry.
These “fake” people the author talks about, who are they? And maybe the better question is, who do you identify them as? I ask that question because I know what went through my mind when he started talking about all of that stuff.
My mind didn’t jump to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. And my mind didn’t jump to David and the facade that came crumbling down at the words of Nathan. And I didn’t start to think about the Rich Young Ruler that Jesus interacts with that clearly is putting on a face for the world. And I didn’t think of Simon the Magician who wants the Holy Spirit and a relationship with Christ so that he can become famous again and do amazing works. I didn’t start thinking about those people.
No, I started thinking about people who are in my midst right now. People whose lives I could look on and make judgement about their heart. Sure, that’s sinful and wrong and not the point of the video. But you did it too. Because you are human and together we cannot possibly comprehend the infinite beauty of the Grace of God that truly is the ocean of Grace that the Church embodies, let alone exercise an appropriate amount of it toward the rest of mankind.
I get frustrated with what I think Jeff wants to identify as Religion as well. Namely, what many of us would identify as Sunday Christians (those that attend a worship service and follow certain “rules” to feel better about themselves.). What frustrates me more, is when my remorse and emotion toward Religion gets intertwined with my passionate love for the Church. And maybe that’s the problem. In my zeal against Religion, I lose my compassion for those that are caught in it. I find myself despising the person that settles for the feel good message and the 3 points to a better life and forget that my mission is for them as well. I hate Religion, but I am commanded to love the religious.
Have we ever stopped to think, critically, about those people that our mind drifts to when we start thinking about the religious? Can we possibly even begin to recognize the many variables that probably go into their stagnation and supposed in-authenticity? The fear of opening up? The hurt that one has already experienced? The history that illustrates the story of a persons life? Have we ever stopped to consider some of these variables? I know I don’t usually stop.
Something to think about. Something I intend to talk about more in the coming days and weeks.
Perhaps the reason there fails to be an ocean of Grace in the midst of our Churches is because of our own inability to extend it to those who need it inside our own Body?
It was my day off today, and it was cold out, so I did a lot of web surfing. noticed a video going viral and wrote a post on it that will go up on Monday. So stay tuned. However, I also found another video, created by the same guy, that I really wish was the one going viral right now. Maybe you agree, maybe you disagree. Let’s see what you think:
Let it be shown that I would affirm everything up until Chandler describes the “elect.” I would assume that my idea of “the elect” and his theology behind it are two very different terms. Otherwise, this is golden. This is more than golden, this is the Gospel.
I opened my email up this morning and found a link to a very interesting video. I thought that I might share it with you because I think that it has become much less of the exception and more of the rule. Don’t get me wrong, I love parents and realize that I have no idea how I would parent in every situation. But, I would be foolish to not bring to light the reality that is overparenting in today’s society. Check it out.
A time to reconnect with family and engage the restful practices of the beach, no alarm clocks, and no schedules. At least, that is what is typical of a high school student… from about 5 years ago.
In a world driven by productivity and stability, high school students are strongly encouraged to participate in so much. Get jobs, go to camps, be involved in numerous club sports, and on top of all of that, desire to have a social life. Of course, being a part of a ministry that works to provide high school students with some of these opportunities, I get to add to all of that noise that continually inundates these students with beneficial activities.
But, the Church is supposed to be different. The Church should be inviting. The Church should be easy and less requirement and expectation. And the Church should be understanding when someone can’t make it to an event. But, I wonder how often students walk away from our promo of events and the follow up we might have with them and think that they were missing out and that they somehow disappointed their leaders.
This is something to think about. If they are truly opportunities to engage with their youth group, or take a break from the busy-ness of their lives, or grow more in their faith, while they might need some extra encouragement, we should never cross the line of making it an expectation that they go. And that starts with the way that we promote something.
A relationship with Christ is a free decision to follow something greater than ourselves, impact the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and spend eternity connected to the Almighty God of the Universe who loves us unconditionally, forever and ever. With that in mind, we should continually find ways to present the opportunities that we offer with that same love, grace, and patience.
This is a pretty sweet illustration. I’m guessing it has been used somewhere else, but I don’t care. I like it and I like Josh cause he’s cool. At least as a blogger. Haven’t really met him before, but I suppose that doesn’t matter. Check this out:
In the two years that I have worked with the Senior High at my church, I think I have heard this phrase used more times than I can count in my head (My short term memory isn’t very good, but you can make all the intelligence jokes you like as long as it makes you laugh). The reality is, in the size of ministry that I am currently working, there is no humanly way that I can connect with every single student that comes through the doors. Now, Jesus, He might be able to pull that off. I, however, contrary to popular belief, am not Jesus.
Favorites. If there is a prominent leader in any group of humans, it seems that someone will come away thinking that someone is playing favorites. I hate the thought that any student would think that I don’t value them, but the reality is that I cannot completely control their perspective and interpretation of my actions. But, maybe there are some things that we can do to change that tone?
Here are some of my thoughts:
Regularly Broaden Your Scope
I’ve noticed that if you can find ways to send messages or simply say “Hey” to students when they least expected it, you can speak volumes to their interpretation of your interpretation of them. A little can go a long way.
Find Ways to Involve Others
In my office, I have a list of students from each grade that have ever walked through the doors. One thing that I have been good at is contacting the same students for different opportunities in our ministry as they come up. So, to remedy that, I have been trying to find other students who are involved that may not be on my mental list. It is amazing what can happen when you tap the shoulder of someone who has just been waiting for your call.
Meet with the Dissenters
If we are honest with ourselves, we have to know that there are some in our ranks that are not completely on board with what we are doing. They typically will keep to themselves and not participate. If they do rise up, it usually is as a group. Engage in those conversations. Press into the conflict and show that person(s) value. The reality is, the conversation can go a long way to a person who wants to be heard.
Just some things that I have been learning as we have progressed through the year. I hope to find these things implemented for next year as we look to change up and mix up the faces that we regularly see on our stage and on the platform of influence in our ministry.
We all have them and no matter what we are trying to accomplish, they must be communicated. However, the way that we communicate them is one of those HUGE little things that if not taken into account and done well, can help to distract, disillusion, and divide the groups we work with as youth workers. And sometimes, they simply are not heard because of how we tried to communicate them.
Critical to communicating expectations is being CRYSTAL CLEAR the FIRST TIME. If you can’t accurately communicate clearly the expectations of a given task or event, we have not done our homework and probably need to simplify it. The clearer we make expectations, the easier we make it for students and parents to be able to meet and support those expectations.
Equally important to clearly communicating expectations is the WORDS that we use to EXPRESS those guidelines. Students today are inundated with rules established in response to actions, expectations established to meet standards, and generally, poorly communicated rationale for those fences. Because of that, we really get one shot at fitting into the bandwidth available in their minds.
Positive communication is critical to this process. So, if we are talking about a trip that a student commits to, communicate everything related to that trip in a way that would enhance their experience. “If you want to be prepared the best for your trip, you should probably take this thing very seriously.” The key to this is leaving it at that and continually reinforcing the reality that each student has the ability to make or break their own personal experience.
Finally, underlying this entire discussion is the understanding that NOBODY LIKES A SINKING SHIP. A phrase I first heard from Tony Morgan and Tim Stevens in reference to how to promote volunteer positions applies just as much to this discussion. Most expectations that students encounter are established in reaction to a previous negative experience. The Church of Jesus Christ should understand rules differently, and therefore, communicate them differently. In Exodus 20:2, God makes it extremely clear why He was handing down the Ten Commandments and it was not because He wanted to restrict His people. He wanted them to have the best possible and most life-giving experience possible while they lived on this earth. What if our expectations did the same thing in our ministries and our events?
