Tag Archives: teamwork

#4 in 2011: True goodbyes are the ones never said or explained.

One of my best friends moved away this past year.  We’re still serving the Lord together, it’s just that he was taking new position more focused on young adult ministry and leaving the full-time junior high realm behind.  These ten pointers to help with the transition made the fourth most popular post in 2011.

 

True goodbyes are the ones never said or explained.

One of my best buds in ministry in life moved away this week.

I couldn’t be happier for you, Steve.  I am happy for your family and for the congregation you are moving to serve.

My wife thought that I would cry (actual tears) when you officially moved away but I didn’t think so and here’s why: it’s not goodbye.  Yea, we’re not doing junior high ministry together anymore but I know we will still be in the trenches for the Lord!  There’s no front we’ve gotta maintain with each other and I know we will continue to encourage along the way.

Knowing that you are switching things up with your new gig by making the seamless transition from junior high ministry to young adult ministry, I thought I would give you some things you can expect with the new job.  So here we go:

10 Insights for Transitioning from Jr. High to Young Adult Ministry.

  1. Asking someone how much they’ve grown over the summer will not be a compliment.
  2. It will now be much harder for you to win a game of knock-out.
  3. “Would you rather poop a pine cone or a cucumber” is no longer a good small group question.

[Read the entire article.]

Excited About the First Time

Taylor Mason is a hilarious comedian who is a Christian.  His entertains with comedy, music, and ventriloquism.  The show he brings is absolutely hilarious and he has a fantastically clean performance.

I’ve been fortunate to see Taylor’s show half a dozen times.  The downside of that though is that I’ve seen him so much that I know his jokes and can, at times, predict what is coming.  It’s still funny, but it’s not as funny as it was for me the first time.

What I really enjoy now is going to Taylor’s show with someone who has never seen him perform before.  Someone with fresh eyes and open ears.  Someone who is salivating with anticipation for the next joke.

When I watch Taylor’s show with someone who is experiencing it for the first time, it comes alive.  I begin to recall my first reaction to the show.  The show is more enjoyable when being slapped on the shoulder by a first timer who is busting a gut over the comedy.  Even if you’ve heard the joke before.

Remembering the first time is important but first-time memories often fades away.

Remember the feeling you had on the first day of junior high?  Your first date like?  The first time you bought a car?  Your first job interview?  Your first day at the new job?

Chances are that day is more memorable than today.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.  Today can be memorable as well!

If you’re a first timer, engage an old timer.  If you’re an old timer, mix it up.  Connect with a first timer to gain a fresh perspective.  Share your ‘old timer’ wisdom with a newbie and experience the moment with a fresh outlook.

A journey is exciting!  Let’s not miss out on the thrill by simply growing accustomed to its familiarities.

Question:  What is one of your significant ‘first times?‘  Click here to comment.

Flashback! Remembering NYWC 2010

At the 2010 National Youth Workers Convention, Mark Matlock shared four things to remember when attending a conference if its magnitude:

“Dont compare what you know about yourself with what you don’t know about others.”  It may seem like someone has it all together, but you do not know the road they took to get there.

“Go to a seminar that you might not agree with.”  There is a temptation to simply go with what you know… fight it.

“Get fresh batteries in your crap detector and set its sensitivity on high.”  There are a lot of ideas that will be shared, some competing and others in harmony.  Listen to the content, but think for yourself.

“YOUR soul and your relationship w/Jesus is more important than the ministry you’re running.”  Take time to slow down and connect with God.  That’s far more valuable than finding the next great thing in youth ministry.

I love those reminders as I’m in the midst NYWC 2011.

Yesterday, I shared some notes from NYWC 2008 and today I’m here to share a few highlights from 2010.  Here we go:

Kara Powell:

The real judge of ministry success should be ‘Where are our students 10 years after high school?’

Student ministry has become a machine.  We see more and more students being broken by the machine.  Students are getting fed like crazy in the machine but they aren’t getting fed outside of the machine. And when the machine
is done with them, they are done with church. 2/5 are anyway.

Our lives become great big thank you notes back to God.

Jesus is bigger than any mistake!

Thinking about Thanksgiving Dinner in your family.  There is an adult table and a kid table.  Adults have the best place settings and the kids have plastic ware.  Sounds like church…

Feed kids with a faith that sticks.  Kids and adults doing things together.

Harvey Carey

Christian leaders must have Christ.  This cannot be assumed

God is more concerned about your character than he is your stuff.

The way to successful ministry is not externals.  You gotta love God.  You gotta know YOU before you can help others know themselves/God

Youth Ministry should not be for me. It needs to be equipping youth to do ministry

Timothy Eldred

Our job is not ‘do Youth Mistry’ it’s to help YOUTH do Ministry. 3 words, the order matters.

Mike Pilavachi

Lessons of the desert: Humility,  Praising when it hurts, God allures us

The desert is not the devil’s place, it is the Lord’s place.

Mark Yaconelli

Spiritual Poverty is when you’re willing to let God be God.  You gotta let it all go.

Many of us have a spiritual perfection project that we expect God to build up for us.  God doesn’t have that project  He has THIS moment.

The burden is light if you let go of expectations. Stop trying to make God fit your image of Him.

What I will remember most from this conference is the importance of helping students trust Jesus.  That’s what ministry is about.

Question: What is something you’ve learned from a conference that helped reshape your thinking?  Click here to comment.

Going Deep [Book Review]

Going Deep
By Gordon MacDonald
4 stars

The 400-page appearance of this book frightened me.  Then again, why would I expect a book with the title “Going Deep” to be a breezy read?

Judging a book by its cover, I thought this read would be 400-pages of slow, methodical, this-is-how-you-go-deep lecturing type material.  The subtitle reads, “Becoming a person of influence,” and the cover art of light beaming through the deep ocean water prepared me for a personal scuba diving adventure to the depths of the spiritual journey.  However, this book is not about a solo mission, it is about bringing depth to your spiritual community.  It is not about becoming a person of influence, rather becoming a people of influence.

After reading the Preface, I was disappointed to learn that this book was centered around a fictional community.  I prefer reality and hard hitting facts, stories, and ideas; not fantasy world.  If I wanted fantasy, I’d grab my wife’s Harry Potter set.  But I forged ahead, continued reading, and I’m glad I did.  The fictional characters came alive, although I did not previously know them from the author’s previous work.

This book will give you three things:

1.  An Idea – Maybe the way you are “doing church” isn’t working or is not sustainable.  This book speaks to what the core of the Church Community should be all about: Knowing and growing in Christ.

2.  A Narrative – Each fictional character of this congregation has a story similar to those present in your congregation.  Navigating the information through these fictional characters is a constant reminder that this is all about people-work.  People-work is messy and takes time, but is the most important work.

3.  A Path -  You are asking, “Where would I even start with this ‘going deep’ plan and what does it take?”  This is the start and the destination is defined.  This book is a tremendous model for identifying the framework of this journey.

Admittedly, I have a groove of the books I would like to read.  This book did not fit into that groove, or so I thought.  You might be thinking the same thing as you read the reviews.  Here’s the deal, if you’ve read this much then it’s clear that something sparked an interest.  Pick up this book for yourself and give it a go.  It is much more than a story.

To let you know, I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review, instead encouraged to write what I think. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”  Thanks for reading!

This is More Than a Run [Marathon Devotion]

The Iowans for Africa Team is running the Quad Cities Marathon Today.  This is the devotion we’ll share before the run.

This is more than a run for you.  It’s a part of something bigger.

Look around.  When you see another highlighter yellow shirt out on the course, be encouraged.  These are Iowans for Africa.  Be encouraged by the teammate who has sacrificed what you have to be here today.  That woman has gotten up before the sun to begin a training run, even when she didn’t want to.  That man has gotten home from work late and set out on the course to put the miles in.  Many injuries have been overcome to be here today.

In the 1968 Olympics within the stadium in Mexico City, the stands had gone dark after an extremely busy day of some of the finest track and field events in the history of the Olympics. All that remained inside the stadium were a few judges, the clean-up crew and a handful of reporters who were filing their reports.  All of a sudden out of nowhere, a runner in his country’s track uniform half hobbled and half ran into that great stadium. He was a marathon runner who was literally hours behind the official last place finisher. He ran around the track and crossed the finish line. One of the reporters ran down to the field to ask this runner why he bothered to finish the race since he was obviously hurting and no one would even count him as a finisher. The injured runner looked up at the reporter and said, “My country did not send me over 5,000 miles to start the race but rather to finish it.”

This man persevered, endured the pain and finished the race. An incredible feat!

You are on the cusp of an incredible feat today.  You’ve already ran many miles and spent countless hours of time and energy to be here.  Your family has supported you through and through.

For you Marathon veterans, this is incredible.  You’re crazy! But this is incredible.  Do something to distinguish this run from the others.

And the rookies: You have no clue what is happening right now!  Enjoy it!  And don’t forget that you too can be a difference maker out on the course today.

In Hebrews 12, the Lord writes:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

My hope is that you fix your eyes on Jesus.  He is the reason you are here.  Set aside your anxiety and fear.  Focus not just on this run today, but your eternal run alongside the King.  Lives will be changed eternally because of the commitment you made to be here today.  And that is why this is more than just a run.

I will close with this Benediction:

As you go, know that the Lord your God goes with you.
He goes before you to guide you,
beside you to be with you.
Behind you to encourage you,
and above you to watch over you.
And may His Spirit give you peace.
Now, and forevermore.  Amen.