I realize it's Tuesday, but figured I'd go ahead with my new Monday Miscellaneous tradition:
- Didn't post yesterday because, frankly, I forgot. I got up fairly early to head out to an all day golf tournament for my kid's school. A friend of mine owns the insurance company that insures the school so he always buys a foursome for the otherwise way-too-costly-for-me event. We had a great time. He also bought us each 10 raffle tickets for some pretty cool prizes which, of course, I didn't win.
- The weekend in Junior High was an interesting one. Really good in some areas and not so good in others...very much a roller coaster of sorts. Music was probably the best in a long time. One of our games was great and the other really struggled (even though it was a great, creative idea...). In fact it struggled so much that we tweaked it for the second service and then totally eliminated it from the third. Our new series "Simmer Down...three emotions that will get you into hot water" seems like it will be pretty fun. This week the topic was Anger; and more specifically how to deal with dangerous anger.
- Our Student ministry program at our new regional campus in Irvine kicks off this Sunday. Leo, our youth pastor at that campus, has been working like crazy recruiting volunteer leaders, setting up the youth room etc. I'm excited to see what God is going to do at the new campus.
- Our junior high and high school departments are in a little bit of controversy because we have decided to post-pone all of our missions trips to Mexico for the next 6 months due to the increased danger. Mexico always has certain risks, and many feel like nothing much has changed other than media attention but our missions department feels like violence has increased enough to warrant not taking students. Some families are are thanking us for our cautious approach and others are frustrated by it.
- Incredible progress is being made on our new student facility, The Refinery. All signs still point to a June 21st grand opening which happens to be promotion weekend so we are getting really close! The building is amazing.
4.29.2008
4.25.2008
New Middle School Curriculum!
One of the biggest frustrations in leading a junior high ministry is the relatively small amount of resources and curriculum written specifically for young teens. So, I am excited to see that Youth Specialties is releasing four new 8-week middle school studies around really crucial topics. Ken Rawson and his wife, Jen, told me about this project a while back and I am really glad to see these great studies available for folks like me and you! The four studies are:
Becoming a Young Man of God
Living as a Young Man of God
Becoming a Young Woman of God
Living as a Young Woman of God
Becoming a Young Man of God
Living as a Young Man of God
Becoming a Young Woman of God
Living as a Young Woman of God
4.24.2008
Culture Wars
I've been thinking a lot lately about organizational culture; how do you define it, who sets it, how to navigate it etc.
Every church in America has it's own culture. Your church has yours, my church has mine, and chances are they are fairly unique. When talking to fellow youth workers who have had bad experiences at a previous church, I've come to the conclusion that one of the biggest contributing factors is a failure to navigate the culture of that particular church. It's really tough to pin-point or define the culture of any particular church, but it exists and the ability to recognize and function well within it is one key to longevity and success in the church setting.
- Is the work environment casual or formal?
- Are you expected to tell your supervisor where you are during the day?
- What meetings can you afford to miss and what ones must you make sure to never miss?
- What type of humor is allowed in what settings?
- Is the church led by type 'A' personalities or not?
- How loosely or tightly are office hours tracked?
- Is there an expectation that most good work happens when you are in the office?
- Does your church value 'sacred cows' or is it open to lots of changes?
- Are there certain leaders who expect to be treated in a certain fashion?
- Is email the preferred method of communication amongst staff or face-to-face?
...and the list goes on.
Try this exercise: write a one paragraph definition of your church's 'culture' and ask others you work with to do the same. Then, spend some time together and identify the areas that were common to everybody. Chances are those areas are the true culture of your church and the less common areas may be individual values or experiences.
What I've learned and what I've seen others learn is that one person rarely changes the culture of the church. Culture is developed over time; for better and for worse and the wise youth worker is one who can appreciate it, understand it and navigate it.
Every church in America has it's own culture. Your church has yours, my church has mine, and chances are they are fairly unique. When talking to fellow youth workers who have had bad experiences at a previous church, I've come to the conclusion that one of the biggest contributing factors is a failure to navigate the culture of that particular church. It's really tough to pin-point or define the culture of any particular church, but it exists and the ability to recognize and function well within it is one key to longevity and success in the church setting.
- Is the work environment casual or formal?
- Are you expected to tell your supervisor where you are during the day?
- What meetings can you afford to miss and what ones must you make sure to never miss?
- What type of humor is allowed in what settings?
- Is the church led by type 'A' personalities or not?
- How loosely or tightly are office hours tracked?
- Is there an expectation that most good work happens when you are in the office?
- Does your church value 'sacred cows' or is it open to lots of changes?
- Are there certain leaders who expect to be treated in a certain fashion?
- Is email the preferred method of communication amongst staff or face-to-face?
...and the list goes on.
Try this exercise: write a one paragraph definition of your church's 'culture' and ask others you work with to do the same. Then, spend some time together and identify the areas that were common to everybody. Chances are those areas are the true culture of your church and the less common areas may be individual values or experiences.
What I've learned and what I've seen others learn is that one person rarely changes the culture of the church. Culture is developed over time; for better and for worse and the wise youth worker is one who can appreciate it, understand it and navigate it.
4.23.2008
Full Service Summer
Our Summer Theme this year is "Full Service Summer". This morning we went to a local gas station to take a bunch of pictures for our Summer Calendar that is due to go to print in about a week. We've always had a 'theme' for the Summer, but it wasn't until a few years ago that we actually started creating 10-weeks worth of lessons around it. In recent years our themes have been:
- IN MOTION
10 weeks on what it would look like if you actually put the fruit of the spirit in motion in your life
- ON LOCATION
10 weeks using a different famous land mark such as great wall of china, mt. everest etc. as backdrop for an object lesson.
- HANG 10 SUMMER
10 weeks of character traits such as honesty, loyalty etc.
For "Full Service Summer" we are hoping to use a different car part each week as an object lesson. It was a great idea at the time, but now I'm struggling. Anybody have any creative ideas for me?
Let's do this....post an idea to help me out, then post any Summer-related topic you could use help on. Camp ideas, activity ideas, promotion weekend ideas....you name it. We can all chime in.
- IN MOTION
10 weeks on what it would look like if you actually put the fruit of the spirit in motion in your life
- ON LOCATION
10 weeks using a different famous land mark such as great wall of china, mt. everest etc. as backdrop for an object lesson.
- HANG 10 SUMMER
10 weeks of character traits such as honesty, loyalty etc.
For "Full Service Summer" we are hoping to use a different car part each week as an object lesson. It was a great idea at the time, but now I'm struggling. Anybody have any creative ideas for me?
Let's do this....post an idea to help me out, then post any Summer-related topic you could use help on. Camp ideas, activity ideas, promotion weekend ideas....you name it. We can all chime in.
4.21.2008
Monday Miscellaneous
Weekend Wrap-Up: This weekend was great. Our attendance was a bit down, but energy was high. Our friends at Elevate, Willow Creek's Junior High ministry, "loaned" us an entire weekend program. I was out there last weekend and really enjoyed the program and asked if they would send us the games, the message, the videos etc. They did, and it was really a good fit for our kids.
Street Kings: Saw it last night. Typical "bad cops" movie but way over the top. Don't think I can recommend it.
Carpet Ball: I saw this game at another youth group and fell in love with it. John Allen, our 78 year old volunteer, built the one pictured above and we unveiled it this weekend. At one point, I counted 27 kids standing around the table.
Birthday Boy: My son, Cole, turned 11 a couple weeks ago but we held his birthday party last night. A crew of his closest buddies went bowling and out to pizza. Sad to see him growing up so fast, but also glad that the days of clowns and balloon animals at parties have passed.
4.17.2008
Hurts My Heart
Over the past year or so, God has really begun softening my heart for single moms and the struggles they face. To be honest, much of my thinking and praying has been on behalf of the moms and not on their kids. A good buddy of mine just passed these stats along to me which served as a reminder of who the real victims are when no dad is present.
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes--U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census
85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes--Center for Disease Control
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes--Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes--National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools
70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes--U.S. Dept. of Justice
85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home--Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections
Translated, this means that children from a fatherless home are:
5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more likely to run away
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of school
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes--U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census
85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes--Center for Disease Control
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes--Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes--National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools
70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes--U.S. Dept. of Justice
85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home--Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections
Translated, this means that children from a fatherless home are:
5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more likely to run away
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of school
10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison
Ooops...re-post
I accidently deleted my entire post regarding this book, and can't figure out how to recover it, but I liked the book enough to re-post it. Sorry!
4.16.2008
Really Good Stuff
Brandon Grissom, the worship leader for Willow Creek's junior high ministry, just released a new E.P. As usual he wrote a good portion of the songs, and as usual it is really good stuff. The most junior high friendly, I think, are Brighter and Liberty.
4.14.2008
Monday Miscellaneous
- I was traveling yesterday from the Willow Creek conference so didn't attend our junior high program but heard it was a great weekend.
- I did get home just in time for our annual small group frisbee golf tournament. Kids sign up to play with their small group and we make a nine-hole course around the campus. Good time.
- Today my son, Cole, turns 11. He has really taken to guitar and we were told that a great way to encourage practice is to play along with favorite songs, which makes sense. We would never buy our 11 year old an iPod but that seemed like the best way for him to find individual songs that he would like to play along with without needing to buy an entire CD. So, we have an 11 year old with an iPod (but purely in the interest of encouraging his love for guitar).
- Has anybody out there played much of the Xbox 360 game 'Skate'? Cole showed me a demo of it last night and it looks amazing. Way better than Tony Hawk from the little I saw. Is it worth buying?
- Was very odd to board the plane yesterday morning in snow flurries and land in 91 degree heat wave sweeping So.Cal. I'm really not ready for Summer quite yet, but the heat does feel kinda good.
- Heading off to date day with Rachel which usually includes Chic-fil-A, walking around the mall and being lazy. I'm quite the romantic I've been told.
- I did get home just in time for our annual small group frisbee golf tournament. Kids sign up to play with their small group and we make a nine-hole course around the campus. Good time.
- Today my son, Cole, turns 11. He has really taken to guitar and we were told that a great way to encourage practice is to play along with favorite songs, which makes sense. We would never buy our 11 year old an iPod but that seemed like the best way for him to find individual songs that he would like to play along with without needing to buy an entire CD. So, we have an 11 year old with an iPod (but purely in the interest of encouraging his love for guitar).
- Has anybody out there played much of the Xbox 360 game 'Skate'? Cole showed me a demo of it last night and it looks amazing. Way better than Tony Hawk from the little I saw. Is it worth buying?
- Was very odd to board the plane yesterday morning in snow flurries and land in 91 degree heat wave sweeping So.Cal. I'm really not ready for Summer quite yet, but the heat does feel kinda good.
- Heading off to date day with Rachel which usually includes Chic-fil-A, walking around the mall and being lazy. I'm quite the romantic I've been told.
4.11.2008
Willow Creek Days 2&3
I'm in the coffee shop outside Willow Creek's auditorium enjoying my Chai Latte (which happens to be much better than the one I usually get at Starbucks. Not sure why....) and reflecting on my experiences and learnings.
- Brian Mclaren was great. I was expecting controversial statements and attempts to rattle our cages, but didn't get any of that. He shared a really, really great presentation about the possibility that the church is busy addressing lots of issues that don't matter a whole lot. Good stuff.
- Had dinner last night with a student ministries team from a multi-campus church in Canada. They may have been the sharpest, nicest group of youth workers I've ever met. Some of their approaches to the multi-campus structure are quite interesting and I found myself taking mental note after mental note. I would have actually taken written notes, but both hands were busy cramming Chicago-style deep dish pizza down my throat.
- This morning, Kara Powell made a case for 4 ingredients of a youth ministry that produces students who remain Christ-followers as they enter college. Her 4 (in my words):
* A clear understanding of the gospel.
* A ministry that welcomes and provides opportunities for doubts to be shared.
* Opportunities for inter-generational relationships.
* Students learning how to feed themselves spiritually.
- Right now I'm heading in to hear Dan Kimball who is my favorite of the emerging thinkers and leaders. Partly because he has cool hair.
- Brian Mclaren was great. I was expecting controversial statements and attempts to rattle our cages, but didn't get any of that. He shared a really, really great presentation about the possibility that the church is busy addressing lots of issues that don't matter a whole lot. Good stuff.
- Had dinner last night with a student ministries team from a multi-campus church in Canada. They may have been the sharpest, nicest group of youth workers I've ever met. Some of their approaches to the multi-campus structure are quite interesting and I found myself taking mental note after mental note. I would have actually taken written notes, but both hands were busy cramming Chicago-style deep dish pizza down my throat.
- This morning, Kara Powell made a case for 4 ingredients of a youth ministry that produces students who remain Christ-followers as they enter college. Her 4 (in my words):
* A clear understanding of the gospel.
* A ministry that welcomes and provides opportunities for doubts to be shared.
* Opportunities for inter-generational relationships.
* Students learning how to feed themselves spiritually.
- Right now I'm heading in to hear Dan Kimball who is my favorite of the emerging thinkers and leaders. Partly because he has cool hair.
4.09.2008
Willow Day One
Just getting ready to head into the first general session. Brian Mclaren is the speaker so it should be interesting and enjoyable.
Two highlights from last night:
- On the drive in I found myself tuned into a country radio station. I never listen to country and I'm not sure what possessed me to do so last night. The first song I listened to had lyrics in the chorus that went something like this... "I want to kiss you way out in the sticks, I want to walk with you through fields of wild flowers, I want to check you for ticks." Seriously.
- Because of the time change I wasn't tired or ready to settle in when I got to my hotel so I went across the street to see the movie, "Drillbit Wilson". That isn't the actual title, but I know it had Drillbit in it and starred Owen Wilson. It was actually a pretty fun little flick and one that youth pastors should see.
Two highlights from last night:
- On the drive in I found myself tuned into a country radio station. I never listen to country and I'm not sure what possessed me to do so last night. The first song I listened to had lyrics in the chorus that went something like this... "I want to kiss you way out in the sticks, I want to walk with you through fields of wild flowers, I want to check you for ticks." Seriously.
- Because of the time change I wasn't tired or ready to settle in when I got to my hotel so I went across the street to see the movie, "Drillbit Wilson". That isn't the actual title, but I know it had Drillbit in it and starred Owen Wilson. It was actually a pretty fun little flick and one that youth pastors should see.
4.08.2008
Willow Bound
I'm in the airport waiting to board my flight to Chicago for Willow's SHIFT conference. I don't teach until Thursday, but wanted to catch the entire conference from the beginning because it's always a great one.
Been pondering this today: What Kind Of Leader Am I, and What Kind Of Leader Do I Enjoy Following?
SELF-CENTERED LEADER focuses purely on his or her agenda and the tasks to fulfill that agenda. People are simply tools toward that end. If somebody can't help the leader achieve the agenda, the self-centered leader sees little use for them. People are only empowered to the extent that they are freed up to fulfill agenda of the leader. Ultimately, the completion of the project and the recognition of the leader is what matters most.
OTHERS-CENTERED LEADER focuses as much, if not more, on the people and the process as the actual agenda. People are viewed as team mates and considered to have just as much value, input and decision making power as the leader. People are empowered to think outside the box, make decisions, move forward. Ultimately, the completion of the project and the fulfillment and recognition of people on the team is what matters most.
It isn't always easy to break leadership down into those two categories, but I do think they are where most leadership starts...one or the other is usually the foundation for how one leads.
What Kind of Leader are you?
What Kind of Leader do you work for?
What are strengths and weaknesses of each type?
Been pondering this today: What Kind Of Leader Am I, and What Kind Of Leader Do I Enjoy Following?
SELF-CENTERED LEADER focuses purely on his or her agenda and the tasks to fulfill that agenda. People are simply tools toward that end. If somebody can't help the leader achieve the agenda, the self-centered leader sees little use for them. People are only empowered to the extent that they are freed up to fulfill agenda of the leader. Ultimately, the completion of the project and the recognition of the leader is what matters most.
OTHERS-CENTERED LEADER focuses as much, if not more, on the people and the process as the actual agenda. People are viewed as team mates and considered to have just as much value, input and decision making power as the leader. People are empowered to think outside the box, make decisions, move forward. Ultimately, the completion of the project and the fulfillment and recognition of people on the team is what matters most.
It isn't always easy to break leadership down into those two categories, but I do think they are where most leadership starts...one or the other is usually the foundation for how one leads.
What Kind of Leader are you?
What Kind of Leader do you work for?
What are strengths and weaknesses of each type?
4.07.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Two of our Series 'Strange But True' (Jacob wrestling the Angel
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Below Average
Length of Lesson: 21 mins
Student Response: Average
Another interesting weekend! I'm beginning to think the "Strange But True" stories we picked were the wrong ones...we are having a real tough time turning them into Jr. High-friendly lessons with good application steps. If my only concern was giving out information, then these stories are amazing and great to tell, but I want all of my lessons to have some "handles" for my students. It's creating the handles each week that has been tough in this series.
On Sunday, one of our key volunteers taught the lesson (he has to teach X number of times for a seminary class he's taking)so it gave me the freedom to check out our newly opened Irvine Regional campus (Irvine is a community about 15 minutes North of our Lake Forest campus). Our youth programs don't kick off in Irvine until May but our Irvine youth Pastor is hard at work getting stuff ready to roll. It was really fun to see the energy around the new campus.
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Below Average
Length of Lesson: 21 mins
Student Response: Average
Another interesting weekend! I'm beginning to think the "Strange But True" stories we picked were the wrong ones...we are having a real tough time turning them into Jr. High-friendly lessons with good application steps. If my only concern was giving out information, then these stories are amazing and great to tell, but I want all of my lessons to have some "handles" for my students. It's creating the handles each week that has been tough in this series.
On Sunday, one of our key volunteers taught the lesson (he has to teach X number of times for a seminary class he's taking)so it gave me the freedom to check out our newly opened Irvine Regional campus (Irvine is a community about 15 minutes North of our Lake Forest campus). Our youth programs don't kick off in Irvine until May but our Irvine youth Pastor is hard at work getting stuff ready to roll. It was really fun to see the energy around the new campus.
4.03.2008
Teens and Activism
4.02.2008
Confident, But About What?
A group from our student ministries team recently set a little time aside to pick one of the four gospels and from that gospel, read only the words of Christ. We then spent some time discussing what popped out.
I read Christ's words from the gospel of Mark. What I couldn't shake was the level of confidence and authority with which Jesus spoke. He knew what he was saying was true, and boldly proclaimed it. He upset people, he confused people, sometimes he explained what he meant and sometimes he didn't. But he was always confident when speaking what he knew to be true.
After spending some time reflecting on this, I came to the conclusion that I probably need to be more confident when speaking God's truths and less confident when speaking my own.
It seems much more popular in ministry/theology discussions today to get fired up and make declarations about a whole bunch of stuff we think we know (by the way, much of theology is just stuff we think we know)than to stand firm on the stuff we know for certain based on God's word.
Not sure where I'm heading with these thoughts....but I've been pondering them.
I read Christ's words from the gospel of Mark. What I couldn't shake was the level of confidence and authority with which Jesus spoke. He knew what he was saying was true, and boldly proclaimed it. He upset people, he confused people, sometimes he explained what he meant and sometimes he didn't. But he was always confident when speaking what he knew to be true.
After spending some time reflecting on this, I came to the conclusion that I probably need to be more confident when speaking God's truths and less confident when speaking my own.
It seems much more popular in ministry/theology discussions today to get fired up and make declarations about a whole bunch of stuff we think we know (by the way, much of theology is just stuff we think we know)than to stand firm on the stuff we know for certain based on God's word.
Not sure where I'm heading with these thoughts....but I've been pondering them.
4.01.2008
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
I've always been a visual learner, and lately I've been trying to be more of a visual teacher; using simple pictures to illustrate deeper points. I haven't been doing it real well; but trying.
Then, coincidentally, I ran across this book and am totally loving it. It makes a science out of the art of visual communication.
3.31.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week One of our Series 'Strange But True' (Elijah and the prophets of Baal)
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Below Average
Length of Lesson: 18 mins
Student Response: Average
It was a strange weekend for us. Lots of creativity went into the program, but I'd say the audience response wasn't what we thought it would be. The crowd just seemed a little dead overall. The band was an all student band which meant the quality dropped off a little bit, but it was great to see a band of 100% students! The lesson was good and bad...I feel like a did a pretty good job of telling the account of Elijah Vs. the Prophets of Baal and seemed to have the students interest, but my application didn't seem to hit the mark the way I hoped it would.
All in all, it was a well planned, well executed and creative weekend that missed the mark a bit.
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Below Average
Length of Lesson: 18 mins
Student Response: Average
It was a strange weekend for us. Lots of creativity went into the program, but I'd say the audience response wasn't what we thought it would be. The crowd just seemed a little dead overall. The band was an all student band which meant the quality dropped off a little bit, but it was great to see a band of 100% students! The lesson was good and bad...I feel like a did a pretty good job of telling the account of Elijah Vs. the Prophets of Baal and seemed to have the students interest, but my application didn't seem to hit the mark the way I hoped it would.
All in all, it was a well planned, well executed and creative weekend that missed the mark a bit.
3.28.2008
Kinda Like Jumbo Shrimp...
My mind often has a hard time reconciling oxymoron's; especially ones that matter more than jumbo shrimp.
Lately I've been thinking about the bigness of God and the smallness of me. Where the struggle lies is in the tension between a sense of utter irrelevance and a great sense of esteem and worth at the same time. Scripture seems to make it clear that God spoke the entire universe into existence, and science seems to have made it clear that the universe is a massive, massive creation. In light of this it's clear that I'm insignificant. But scripture also says that the same God who spoke the world into existence took the time to knit me together in my mother's womb. When I pause to think about that I get a bit overwhelmed: God simply spoke and the universe was made, but he took the time to hand-make me! In light of this it's clear that I'm incredibly significant.
Insignificant and significant at the same time. That hurts my head a little but makes me feel pretty good (but not too good....)!
Lately I've been thinking about the bigness of God and the smallness of me. Where the struggle lies is in the tension between a sense of utter irrelevance and a great sense of esteem and worth at the same time. Scripture seems to make it clear that God spoke the entire universe into existence, and science seems to have made it clear that the universe is a massive, massive creation. In light of this it's clear that I'm insignificant. But scripture also says that the same God who spoke the world into existence took the time to knit me together in my mother's womb. When I pause to think about that I get a bit overwhelmed: God simply spoke and the universe was made, but he took the time to hand-make me! In light of this it's clear that I'm incredibly significant.
Insignificant and significant at the same time. That hurts my head a little but makes me feel pretty good (but not too good....)!
3.27.2008
Camping, Church and Chaos
Got back from camping with my son late last night. We had a great time being really lazy. Two highlights:
- We woke up Tuesday morning to discover that our cooler full of water, sodas and food had been stolen during the night. Nothing else from our campsite was touched so our hunch was that teenagers stole it hoping to find beer. Our hunch was confirmed a few hours later when the park rangers returned our cooler to us and mentioned that it happens several times a week and that nothing in our cooler was missing. Apparently kids from the nearby neighborhood walk through the campground, grab a couple of coolers and open them in the bushes looking for beer. Must have been a bummer to open our cooler hoping to find some ice-cold Coors only to find cokes and meatloaf!
- On Wednesday we hiked about a mile to a seal sanctuary which was pretty cool. For the walk home we each had to pick a rock and kick it all the way back to camp.
You know it's a lazy camping trip when the two highlights are solving a stolen cooler mystery and kicking a rock for a mile!
Lots of stuff happening at church right now. We are in a busy season of trying to nail down a move-in date for the Refinery (new student building), as well as wrapping our minds around all the new ministry possibilities that will come our way as a result. A really key player on our junior high team who has been with us off and on for about seven years is moving to Kenya for six months so I am in the initial stages of figuring out what our team and ministry will look like without her. Today, we decided to host a "preparing for junior high" workshop for the parents of our incoming 7th graders. The first half of the workshop will focus on basic developmental changes and parenting tips and the second half will focus on the details of our junior high ministry. As basic as that sounds, I'm actually really excited about it because we've never combined those two topics into a single workshop.
Today I'm finally finishing up the details for the revised Controlled Chaos manuscript. I'm about a month past the deadline so it feels good to be bringing it to a close. The revised version will have three new chapters plus a whole bunch of real life junior high ministry stories from other junior high youth workers. Look for it sometime in late September.
- We woke up Tuesday morning to discover that our cooler full of water, sodas and food had been stolen during the night. Nothing else from our campsite was touched so our hunch was that teenagers stole it hoping to find beer. Our hunch was confirmed a few hours later when the park rangers returned our cooler to us and mentioned that it happens several times a week and that nothing in our cooler was missing. Apparently kids from the nearby neighborhood walk through the campground, grab a couple of coolers and open them in the bushes looking for beer. Must have been a bummer to open our cooler hoping to find some ice-cold Coors only to find cokes and meatloaf!
- On Wednesday we hiked about a mile to a seal sanctuary which was pretty cool. For the walk home we each had to pick a rock and kick it all the way back to camp.
You know it's a lazy camping trip when the two highlights are solving a stolen cooler mystery and kicking a rock for a mile!
Lots of stuff happening at church right now. We are in a busy season of trying to nail down a move-in date for the Refinery (new student building), as well as wrapping our minds around all the new ministry possibilities that will come our way as a result. A really key player on our junior high team who has been with us off and on for about seven years is moving to Kenya for six months so I am in the initial stages of figuring out what our team and ministry will look like without her. Today, we decided to host a "preparing for junior high" workshop for the parents of our incoming 7th graders. The first half of the workshop will focus on basic developmental changes and parenting tips and the second half will focus on the details of our junior high ministry. As basic as that sounds, I'm actually really excited about it because we've never combined those two topics into a single workshop.
Today I'm finally finishing up the details for the revised Controlled Chaos manuscript. I'm about a month past the deadline so it feels good to be bringing it to a close. The revised version will have three new chapters plus a whole bunch of real life junior high ministry stories from other junior high youth workers. Look for it sometime in late September.
3.24.2008
Beach Camping
It was an exciting weekend at church. We launched two new regional campuses (in Irvine, about 15 minutes North of our main campus and in Corona, about 40 minutes east.). Both campuses had fantastic opening weekend attendance and seem to be off to a great start. Leo Galarza is our Student Ministries Pastor in Irvine and we are still hunting for a part-time (that will hopefully turn full time sometime soon)Student Ministry Pastor for our Corona campus.
Today,
I'm heading off for three days of camping at the beach with my son, my brother and his son. We are heading a few hours of the coast to the Santa Barbara area. We couldn't have asked for better weather. No real plans other than hiking, swimming, playing catch, climbing trees and being lazy.
Today,
I'm heading off for three days of camping at the beach with my son, my brother and his son. We are heading a few hours of the coast to the Santa Barbara area. We couldn't have asked for better weather. No real plans other than hiking, swimming, playing catch, climbing trees and being lazy.
3.21.2008
What A Week
I feel like I've had one the busiest, most diverse, but most fun weeks in a long time.
- Last weekend I was in Palm Springs Speaking at Believe. We took a handful of our 8th grade student leaders to check it out to see if it's something we might want to do as an entire ministry next year. They loved it and I hope we can fit it into our schedule of events.
- I stayed in the desert for two extra days to ride dirt-bikes with some friends which was great.
- Tuesday through Wednesday I took our Student Ministries Core Leadership Team on a short retreat. The goal of this retreat (which consisted of our intern director, high school pastor, junior high director, volunteers director, music director, minister to hurting kids, and both regional campus youth pastors) was really just to spend some quality time together and rally around a few key issues.
- Yesterday I spent the day with about 20 other junior high youth workers from Southern California for our "So Cal Connection". We meet twice a year to hang out and toss a variety of topics on the subject. If you are a junior high youth worker in the Southern California area and would like to know about future gatherings I'd be happy to fill you in.
- Right now I'm getting ready to board a flight to Phoenix with Matt Hall and Katie Edwards. We will then drive three hours to an Indian reservation to explore some future missions opportunities. We get home about 11:00 tonight.
- Beginning tomorrow I will serve at 5 of our easter services.
- Last weekend I was in Palm Springs Speaking at Believe. We took a handful of our 8th grade student leaders to check it out to see if it's something we might want to do as an entire ministry next year. They loved it and I hope we can fit it into our schedule of events.
- I stayed in the desert for two extra days to ride dirt-bikes with some friends which was great.
- Tuesday through Wednesday I took our Student Ministries Core Leadership Team on a short retreat. The goal of this retreat (which consisted of our intern director, high school pastor, junior high director, volunteers director, music director, minister to hurting kids, and both regional campus youth pastors) was really just to spend some quality time together and rally around a few key issues.
- Yesterday I spent the day with about 20 other junior high youth workers from Southern California for our "So Cal Connection". We meet twice a year to hang out and toss a variety of topics on the subject. If you are a junior high youth worker in the Southern California area and would like to know about future gatherings I'd be happy to fill you in.
- Right now I'm getting ready to board a flight to Phoenix with Matt Hall and Katie Edwards. We will then drive three hours to an Indian reservation to explore some future missions opportunities. We get home about 11:00 tonight.
- Beginning tomorrow I will serve at 5 of our easter services.
3.13.2008
Random Ramblings
- Haven't been to a theater for a movie in a while and feel like I'm over due. The most recent movie I saw was Michael Clayton on a plane ride. It was a lot different than I thought it would be, but pretty good.
- Something on t.v. bothered me so much that I actually hollered at it. Must not have bothered me too much, though, because I can't remember what it was. Gosh, I am becoming my father.
- Is it just me or does it seem like the purposeful cycle of the media is to build people up simply to tear them down? Maybe that's what I was hollering at.
- Gonna spend Sunday afternoon and Monday dirt bike riding out in the desert with some buddies. No families this time, just a guy trip.
- Because I love Shave Ice so much, I've been promising to purchase a shave ice machine for the new student building at our church. I just found out the machine that makes the good stuff costs $2,500.00! I'm asking myself if I promised to buy the machine or just said I might buy the machine!
- This weekend I speak at my third, and final, Jr. High Believe. It's in Palm Springs so we're taking about a dozen of our leadership kids to let them check it out and see if it's something we want to plug our entire ministry into next year. My hunch is that they'll totally love it...other than the speaker, of course.
- Something on t.v. bothered me so much that I actually hollered at it. Must not have bothered me too much, though, because I can't remember what it was. Gosh, I am becoming my father.
- Is it just me or does it seem like the purposeful cycle of the media is to build people up simply to tear them down? Maybe that's what I was hollering at.
- Gonna spend Sunday afternoon and Monday dirt bike riding out in the desert with some buddies. No families this time, just a guy trip.
- Because I love Shave Ice so much, I've been promising to purchase a shave ice machine for the new student building at our church. I just found out the machine that makes the good stuff costs $2,500.00! I'm asking myself if I promised to buy the machine or just said I might buy the machine!
- This weekend I speak at my third, and final, Jr. High Believe. It's in Palm Springs so we're taking about a dozen of our leadership kids to let them check it out and see if it's something we want to plug our entire ministry into next year. My hunch is that they'll totally love it...other than the speaker, of course.
3.12.2008
Teen STD Increase
By now you've probably heard the recent news that 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD. Here is Wall Street Journal article and some interesting discussion.
3.11.2008
A Little Nervous
Tonight I'm teaching a short parenting workshop at my kid's school and I'm super nervous about it. I really don't like putting myself in the position of "expert" of any kind, so I'm hoping to present in a way that communicates that I'm just a struggling parent myself! I'm trying to create a series of "pictures of parenting" that I'll work through. I'll update tomorrow with an honest report of how things go tonight.
3.07.2008
Junior High Newsletter
Years ago, Group Publishing actually had an entire magazine devoted specifially to junior high magazine. They discontinued it a dozen or so years ago but have decided to give it another try...almost.
Instead of a magazine, Group and Simplyjuniorhigh now have a monthly 12-page newsletter focusing on junior high ministry. Each issue will have some training, some research, some interviews, some lesson ideas and some other really great stuff. Forty Bucks for a year feels a little pricey, but it's probably the cheapest way to get ongoing, monthly training and encouragement.
I would suggest you buy one subscription and then photocopy key articles etc. to give to the volunteers on your team (but I don't know if that's legal!).
Instead of a magazine, Group and Simplyjuniorhigh now have a monthly 12-page newsletter focusing on junior high ministry. Each issue will have some training, some research, some interviews, some lesson ideas and some other really great stuff. Forty Bucks for a year feels a little pricey, but it's probably the cheapest way to get ongoing, monthly training and encouragement.
I would suggest you buy one subscription and then photocopy key articles etc. to give to the volunteers on your team (but I don't know if that's legal!).
3.06.2008
Name Game Part 2: The Winner Is....
We've landed on a name for our new student building. Thanks a ton for all of your suggestions. A few names that got us thinking and were in the running were:
- The Hub
- The Foundry
- The Warehouse
- The Mill
Ultimately we landed on 'The Refinery' as the name. We think it matches the look of the building and also has a great biblical tie-in. Since nobody suggested Refinery, I will hold onto the $100 worth of free Junior High resources until somebody suggests an easier contest!
- The Hub
- The Foundry
- The Warehouse
- The Mill
Ultimately we landed on 'The Refinery' as the name. We think it matches the look of the building and also has a great biblical tie-in. Since nobody suggested Refinery, I will hold onto the $100 worth of free Junior High resources until somebody suggests an easier contest!
3.04.2008
The Best Tea I've Had In A While
I'm sitting in Peet's Coffee (my favorite new hang out because their tea is great) enjoying a pot of English Breakfast tea while I journal (something I'm trying to do once in a while even though I've never been good at it....but today I'm being good at it). What started out as a normal cup of tea has turned into a great cup of tea because of the conversation at the table next to me.
It's a young married guy and a student who looks like he's in 9th or 10th grade. The moment they sat down I thought, "looks like a youth pastor hanging out with a student to me." Sure enough. As soon as they sat down the conversation begins to take a classic mentoring/discipleship turn: Small talk followed by a little bit of catching up followed by some deeper conversation followed by some great discussion about the life of David. As I listened I was reminded of a few things.
- Relational ministry really is the best kind of youth ministry. There's no doubt in my mind that the 30 minutes this kid has spent with his youth worker is way more effective than anything else that particular youth ministry has going on.
- Kids respond to caring adults. Relational ministry isn't easy, and takes a ton of extra time and effort but the pay off is huge.
- I don't do enough of it. Maybe the biggest reminder for me as I watch this whole thing unfold is that I simply don't do enough one-on-one ministry with kids. I've got a ton of excuses for why it doesn't happen like it should but none of them are really all that valid. Time to step up.
It's a young married guy and a student who looks like he's in 9th or 10th grade. The moment they sat down I thought, "looks like a youth pastor hanging out with a student to me." Sure enough. As soon as they sat down the conversation begins to take a classic mentoring/discipleship turn: Small talk followed by a little bit of catching up followed by some deeper conversation followed by some great discussion about the life of David. As I listened I was reminded of a few things.
- Relational ministry really is the best kind of youth ministry. There's no doubt in my mind that the 30 minutes this kid has spent with his youth worker is way more effective than anything else that particular youth ministry has going on.
- Kids respond to caring adults. Relational ministry isn't easy, and takes a ton of extra time and effort but the pay off is huge.
- I don't do enough of it. Maybe the biggest reminder for me as I watch this whole thing unfold is that I simply don't do enough one-on-one ministry with kids. I've got a ton of excuses for why it doesn't happen like it should but none of them are really all that valid. Time to step up.
3.03.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
GREAT WEEKEND.
1st...it was week #1 of our new series, "Bad Girls". Each week we will focus on a bad girl from the bible, and a different woman from our team will teach. This week the bad girl was Jezebel. We've taught this series once before several years ago and it was a big hit so I'm excited to repeat it. Plus, I get a little teaching break!
2nd...most of us weren't there this weekend because it was our annual volunteer leadership retreat. Each year we invite all our junior high volunteers plus their spouses down to San Diego for an over-nighter. We hang out, eat good food, play games, have worship, share communion and pray for one another. There is no training and no tight schedule. It's basically our way of saying thank you to the team for their ministry. We charge $25 per person and our ministry picks up the rest of the tab. We typically only have about 1/3 of our team attend so it's a little smaller and way more relational than a typical staff meeting or gathering. The best part may be the fact that almost every year we end up having a spouse of a volunteer join our team because he/she had so much fun on the retreat.
1st...it was week #1 of our new series, "Bad Girls". Each week we will focus on a bad girl from the bible, and a different woman from our team will teach. This week the bad girl was Jezebel. We've taught this series once before several years ago and it was a big hit so I'm excited to repeat it. Plus, I get a little teaching break!
2nd...most of us weren't there this weekend because it was our annual volunteer leadership retreat. Each year we invite all our junior high volunteers plus their spouses down to San Diego for an over-nighter. We hang out, eat good food, play games, have worship, share communion and pray for one another. There is no training and no tight schedule. It's basically our way of saying thank you to the team for their ministry. We charge $25 per person and our ministry picks up the rest of the tab. We typically only have about 1/3 of our team attend so it's a little smaller and way more relational than a typical staff meeting or gathering. The best part may be the fact that almost every year we end up having a spouse of a volunteer join our team because he/she had so much fun on the retreat.
2.29.2008
Dodgeball; You Are So Popular.
Your Movie
The website using you as it's URL
A really nice, but kinda expensive version of you
Your rules
How to run your tournament
A blog with you in the title
A book with you in the title
Your own wikipedia entry
A cute, little video game of you
I'm glad we're friends. Knowing you makes me feel more important.
The website using you as it's URL
A really nice, but kinda expensive version of you
Your rules
How to run your tournament
A blog with you in the title
A book with you in the title
Your own wikipedia entry
A cute, little video game of you
I'm glad we're friends. Knowing you makes me feel more important.
2.28.2008
Vast Array Of Issues
At one point during our junior high track at last weekend's conference, we broke up into round table discussion groups. We offered for different round table topics and each participant could chose two of the four.
I was hosting the "misc. junior high issues" group. The idea behind this discussion group was simply to power our way through as many junior high topics as possible....topics that hadn't yet been covered in the 8-hour training track.
The first group came through and we put about a dozen topics on the board and had some really good discussion. When the second group came through, I assumed most of the topics they would suggest would be repeats from the first group. Much to my surprise, the list of topics proposed by the second group was ENTIRELY different; not a single repeat topic!
You are probably wondering what the topics were. So am I, because I foolishly left both flip-chart pages in the conference room. But I do know that they ranged from running games to dealing with abuse and everything in between.
So, just for fun: If you were in a circle of other junior high youth workers what is one topic you would want to discuss?
I was hosting the "misc. junior high issues" group. The idea behind this discussion group was simply to power our way through as many junior high topics as possible....topics that hadn't yet been covered in the 8-hour training track.
The first group came through and we put about a dozen topics on the board and had some really good discussion. When the second group came through, I assumed most of the topics they would suggest would be repeats from the first group. Much to my surprise, the list of topics proposed by the second group was ENTIRELY different; not a single repeat topic!
You are probably wondering what the topics were. So am I, because I foolishly left both flip-chart pages in the conference room. But I do know that they ranged from running games to dealing with abuse and everything in between.
So, just for fun: If you were in a circle of other junior high youth workers what is one topic you would want to discuss?
2.27.2008
A Blogging Milestone
My 500th post.
It took me almost two years to get to this point.
It probably only took Josh Griffin two weeks.
It took me almost two years to get to this point.
It probably only took Josh Griffin two weeks.
2.26.2008
Catastrophic!
As it turns out this may be my last post. I had hoped to make it to 500 (this is number 499), but these three hours may in fact end society as we know it.
Highly Recommended...
'Yes, your teeen is crazy!' by Michael J. Bradley
'Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager, Revised and Updated' by Anthony E. Wolf
The second title may possibly be history's longest!
These two books come highly recommended...but not by me because I haven't read them. They were suggested to me by two junior high youth workers I recently met as we were discussing tools to put into the hands of parents.
2.24.2008
Group Conference Days 2&3
Wow, it's been hectic and really, really fun. Yesterday we started day one of a two-day middle school ministry track and haven't slowed down since. About 120 fellow middle school workers holed up together to learn a little and to laugh a lot.
At large events like this one, you always expect great music, fantastic speakers, and all that good stuff. But what seems to have set my experience this year apart from so many others is the number of deep conversations I've had with people...conversations that have led me to really think about ministry and life.
In our session today we talked a little bit about having a purpose statement or vision statement but somehow failed to bring a sample so I promised I'd post ours here on the blog:
"Our Ministry exists to REACH non-believing students, to CONNECT them with other Christians, to challenge them to GROW in their faith, and to encourage the growing to DISCOVER their ministry and HONOR God with their lives."
It's been a great weekend, but I'm ready to head home!
At large events like this one, you always expect great music, fantastic speakers, and all that good stuff. But what seems to have set my experience this year apart from so many others is the number of deep conversations I've had with people...conversations that have led me to really think about ministry and life.
In our session today we talked a little bit about having a purpose statement or vision statement but somehow failed to bring a sample so I promised I'd post ours here on the blog:
"Our Ministry exists to REACH non-believing students, to CONNECT them with other Christians, to challenge them to GROW in their faith, and to encourage the growing to DISCOVER their ministry and HONOR God with their lives."
It's been a great weekend, but I'm ready to head home!
2.22.2008
Group Conference #1
After a crazy travel day (cancelled flights, re-booked then cancelled, then re-booked etc.) I finally arrived at about 1:30 a.m.
Today has been a great day.
I spent the morning with a group of about 40 large-church youth pastors from the Christian Missionary Alliance. A big part of their discussion was an interesting challenge to stay true to biblical text while being theologically creative at the same time. I really enjoyed my time with them.
Had lunch with two marketing guys from Standard Publishing to discuss plans to update, revise and re-cover Controlled Chaos which I'm really excited about.
Spent the afternoon with Scott Rubin (the jh pastor at Willow Creek) and about 100 junior high youth workers in a super casual "heart to heart" discussion about various issues.
The highlight of the day was the first general session featuring Tony Dungy. He was amazingly humble, insightful and seemed genuinely excited to be with us. At one point in his message he mentioned that he typically takes only 2-3 days off from July through January due to the demands of being an NFL head coach. To be honest, my heart broke for him thinking about the toll that must take on personal life.
Tomorrow we start our two-day middle school ministry track....should be fun.
Today has been a great day.
I spent the morning with a group of about 40 large-church youth pastors from the Christian Missionary Alliance. A big part of their discussion was an interesting challenge to stay true to biblical text while being theologically creative at the same time. I really enjoyed my time with them.
Had lunch with two marketing guys from Standard Publishing to discuss plans to update, revise and re-cover Controlled Chaos which I'm really excited about.
Spent the afternoon with Scott Rubin (the jh pastor at Willow Creek) and about 100 junior high youth workers in a super casual "heart to heart" discussion about various issues.
The highlight of the day was the first general session featuring Tony Dungy. He was amazingly humble, insightful and seemed genuinely excited to be with us. At one point in his message he mentioned that he typically takes only 2-3 days off from July through January due to the demands of being an NFL head coach. To be honest, my heart broke for him thinking about the toll that must take on personal life.
Tomorrow we start our two-day middle school ministry track....should be fun.
2.21.2008
Not A Good Start
I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport after just hearing the news that my flight into Cinci. is delayed by at least two hours due to poor weather. Bummer. I am looking forward to being in the cold, snowy weather but hate that it's a travel factor.
The trip did get off to a sorta interesting start in O.C. As I was waiting to board, It was announced that one of our flight attendants was retiring after FORTY YEARS of service with Delta and that the leg to Atlanta was her very last flight. She came out and asked a bunch of us to join her in a retirement photo. Totally weird, random and fun.
The trip did get off to a sorta interesting start in O.C. As I was waiting to board, It was announced that one of our flight attendants was retiring after FORTY YEARS of service with Delta and that the leg to Atlanta was her very last flight. She came out and asked a bunch of us to join her in a retirement photo. Totally weird, random and fun.
2.20.2008
Off To Cinci
Tomorrow morning I'm heading off to Cincinnati for the Group/SYM National Youth Ministry Conference. This is only the second year of this conference and things are looking pretty good. I'm slotted to keep myself pretty busy catching up with old friends, leading an 8 hour middle school ministry track etc. but I'm really looking forward to the weekend.
Perhaps what I like best about being part of this conference is the written expectation that the speakers and trainers will make themselves available to spend significant time with people attending the event. Eating meals together, hanging out during free time, attending late night options etc. are part of the role of every speaker. This really makes the whole event feel much more like a conversation than a conference, which is nice.
What I like least is being away from the family. The original plan was to take the kids out of school and make it a fun family trip (to Ohio?), but it turns out my daughter leaves for her 8th grade Washington D.C. trip on Friday so plans had to change.
Perhaps what I like best about being part of this conference is the written expectation that the speakers and trainers will make themselves available to spend significant time with people attending the event. Eating meals together, hanging out during free time, attending late night options etc. are part of the role of every speaker. This really makes the whole event feel much more like a conversation than a conference, which is nice.
What I like least is being away from the family. The original plan was to take the kids out of school and make it a fun family trip (to Ohio?), but it turns out my daughter leaves for her 8th grade Washington D.C. trip on Friday so plans had to change.
2.19.2008
2.18.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Two of our Series 'I <3 Technology'
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 20 mins
Student Response: Way Above Average
One of our better weekends in quite a while for lots of reasons.
Our worship band was entirely student led...not even an adult on stage to help out which was really fun. Our lesson was 'Life is a like a video game' and we did some pretty creative stuff to add the atmosphere. We set part of our stage up to look like a living room and a few minutes into my message on of our volunteers came out, turned on the t.v. and started playing guitar hero. He played guitar hero on stage during my entire talk which was both distracting and really fun at the same time. The lesson was fun, we had a great video and we had a lot of our volunteer team in attendance which always makes for a strong weekend.
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 20 mins
Student Response: Way Above Average
One of our better weekends in quite a while for lots of reasons.
Our worship band was entirely student led...not even an adult on stage to help out which was really fun. Our lesson was 'Life is a like a video game' and we did some pretty creative stuff to add the atmosphere. We set part of our stage up to look like a living room and a few minutes into my message on of our volunteers came out, turned on the t.v. and started playing guitar hero. He played guitar hero on stage during my entire talk which was both distracting and really fun at the same time. The lesson was fun, we had a great video and we had a lot of our volunteer team in attendance which always makes for a strong weekend.
2.15.2008
Name Game
Okay, here's the deal. We are about 6-7 months away from moving into our new Student Zone and it's time to land on an official name.
We don't like Student Zone for a couple of reasons:
a) Frankly, it's kinda lame. We've called it that as the generic term for the past three or four
years, but never intended it to be the permanent name.
b) Although students will be the primary user, we aren't the only ones who will utilize the space
so we need something student friendly but not exclusive to 'students'.
If you can't tell by the pictures, the building is a really cool mixture of old brick, concrete, aged wood and exposed steel.
We've purposely decided not to open the naming process up to our students, volunteers etc. because we don't want to deal with all that entails. BUT I am hoping you may have a few suggestions.
So....submit an idea or two and if we happen to use your name we will give you $100.00 worth of free resources from Simply Junior High.
2.14.2008
Jimi
My brother just gave me a new wallet called the Jimi. It's marketed as a wallet for people who don't like wallets, which I am.
It's interesting, really, and quite unique. Molded plastic, only holds a handful of cards and a few bills. I've only had it for about a week, but I really like it (other than the color my brother chose for me which is a transparent aqua color).
2.13.2008
Why I Live In So. Cal
Sure, the cost of living is quite high, but...
....beautiful weather
....close to the coast
....I never have to worry about this!
....beautiful weather
....close to the coast
....I never have to worry about this!
2.12.2008
15 long hours
Every 6 weeks or so, I am the official overnight M.O.D.(Minister of the day). Tonight is my night. From 5:30 p.m until 8:30 a.m I am the pastor who will respond to any emergency calls placed at our church office. I'm sure many of you have similar responsibilities, so I'm really not trying to whine. But of pastoral roles we play, the role of crisis intervention is the one I'm least comfortable playing. This is only my second time on duty since we started this new rotation (believe it or not, until recently the same pastor was on call EVERY night!) and the first time around I didn't have any calls!
I'm praying that the people who call our church their home will have a peaceful, crisis-free night!
I'm praying that the people who call our church their home will have a peaceful, crisis-free night!
2.11.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week One of our Series 'I <3 Technology'
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average, but below average (no, that doesn't make it average!)
Length of Lesson: 24 mins
Student Response: Average
This weekend we kicked off what I hope will be a really fun and different series. Our 'I <3 Technology' series will use various aspects of technology as a backdrop (read object lesson) each week. We kicked it off with the internet and used it as a backdrop for a lesson on the subject of how do you know what's true, how do you 'filter' all the information you are exposed to etc.
I think the idea was excellent, my creativity was high, my delivery strong, but my content was fairly week....even for an entry level junior high program.
But games were fun, music was wonderful, there were tons of students in attendance and we did a great job programming the whole event around our theme.
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average, but below average (no, that doesn't make it average!)
Length of Lesson: 24 mins
Student Response: Average
This weekend we kicked off what I hope will be a really fun and different series. Our 'I <3 Technology' series will use various aspects of technology as a backdrop (read object lesson) each week. We kicked it off with the internet and used it as a backdrop for a lesson on the subject of how do you know what's true, how do you 'filter' all the information you are exposed to etc.
I think the idea was excellent, my creativity was high, my delivery strong, but my content was fairly week....even for an entry level junior high program.
But games were fun, music was wonderful, there were tons of students in attendance and we did a great job programming the whole event around our theme.
2.09.2008
Random Ramblings
- I participated in some personal conflict resolution recently with a gentleman I barely know, but hope to have a relationship with in the future. I was reminded of two things:
1) Humility goes a long, long way in resolving conflict.
2) There really are two sides to every story and it's wise to recognize that.
- I would really like to see an African-American or female president. What a great step forward for our country. BUT, not sure either of the present candidates is the right African-American or female candidate. I so wish Obama had more to offer than fantastic oratory skills.
- I recently downloaded a few old Rush songs onto my iPod. Haven't heard them in a long time. Good stuff!
- A week later, and I'm still thinking about the Super bowl. Best game I've ever seen.
- I'm really excited about our fun, new series we're starting this week called 'I <3 Technology' (I heart technology). We are taking three major technological advances and using them as the backdrop for an object lesson each week. This week we are using the internet as a backdrop for a lesson on God's word as best source for truth and knowledge. We've got lots of fun stuff planned.
1) Humility goes a long, long way in resolving conflict.
2) There really are two sides to every story and it's wise to recognize that.
- I would really like to see an African-American or female president. What a great step forward for our country. BUT, not sure either of the present candidates is the right African-American or female candidate. I so wish Obama had more to offer than fantastic oratory skills.
- I recently downloaded a few old Rush songs onto my iPod. Haven't heard them in a long time. Good stuff!
- A week later, and I'm still thinking about the Super bowl. Best game I've ever seen.
- I'm really excited about our fun, new series we're starting this week called 'I <3 Technology' (I heart technology). We are taking three major technological advances and using them as the backdrop for an object lesson each week. This week we are using the internet as a backdrop for a lesson on God's word as best source for truth and knowledge. We've got lots of fun stuff planned.
2.07.2008
Pre-emptive Strke
The new book "Kurt and Scott's Junior High Adventure" was just released and is available at Grouppublishing.com and Amazon.com. Simply Junior High should have it ready to ship in a day or two.
The title and cover obviously set Scott and me up to take some shots from our friends so I'm putting it on this post as a pre-emptive strike.
There are very few jokes and stones our friends can lob our direction that we haven't already thought of ourselves!
But please, don't let the incredibly good looking images on the cover keep you from purchasing this resource.
2.06.2008
To What Do I Hold?
I'm not quite ready to answer that question becuase I'm still chewing, but it's one that all of us need to ask from time to time; not so much because the answers will change (although some could...) but so that we are reminded of those things we hold dear. I recently created a little list of key areas in my life and am trying to define what 'things' in each category are things that I truly hold to; things that are non-negotiable at this point in my life for that category.
The main categories on my list:
FAMILY
FAITH
FRIENDS
MINISTRY
It's really not as easy an exercise as you may think.
The main categories on my list:
FAMILY
FAITH
FRIENDS
MINISTRY
It's really not as easy an exercise as you may think.
2.05.2008
Soul Searching
I haven't read the book in it's entirety, so I thought the movie would be a good way to get to the bigger findings. It's about a year old, so I'm coming a little late to the party...but better late than never. Soul Searching; A Movie About Teenagers and God is based on the book Soul Searching by Christian Smith and Melinda Denton. I watched it last week while I was away for a couple of days and enjoyed it.
I would say that there was lots of interesting, somewhat eye-opening, but not jaw-dropping information. While studies like these always have their faults, there are always plenty of nuggets of truth to be found. After watching it, I felt a sense of hope for America's youth and honored to be playing a small role in their spiritual development. Perhaps you've missed out on seeing this little documentary, too. If that's the case I think it's well worth your time.
2.01.2008
Random Ramblings
- I've spent the past two days at a friend's beach cottage catching up on some long-overdue projects. It's been productive and refreshing at the same time.
- For a guilty pleasure last night I rented Shaun of the Dead. Very funny.
- For the first time in my adult life, I feel tempted to not cast a vote in the presidential election. All the bickering and flip-flopping on issues is driving me nuts. I can't see it getting any better over the next 8 months.
- I've been growing fond of the comedy of Demetri Martin. Of course there is the occasional coarse language and sexual humor but far, far less than most comedians.
- Because I've been away, I missed the LOST premiere and am anxious to see it. I started watching in season two and never saw season one which most fans say is crucial.
- Having lunch today with my life-long friend, Chris Schmaltz, who is a youth pastor in the beach community I'm staying in. I don't see him as often as I'd like so I'm looking forward to the time.
- For a guilty pleasure last night I rented Shaun of the Dead. Very funny.
- For the first time in my adult life, I feel tempted to not cast a vote in the presidential election. All the bickering and flip-flopping on issues is driving me nuts. I can't see it getting any better over the next 8 months.
- I've been growing fond of the comedy of Demetri Martin. Of course there is the occasional coarse language and sexual humor but far, far less than most comedians.
- Because I've been away, I missed the LOST premiere and am anxious to see it. I started watching in season two and never saw season one which most fans say is crucial.
- Having lunch today with my life-long friend, Chris Schmaltz, who is a youth pastor in the beach community I'm staying in. I don't see him as often as I'd like so I'm looking forward to the time.
1.30.2008
Wanna Write A Story?
I've already asked a few of my friends for their contributions, but wanted to toss an invite to
Here's the deal....
Standard Publishing is updating/revising/re-distributing Controlled Chaos, a junior high ministry book I wrote about 8 years ago, and one thing we wanted to add was a 'Stories From The Trenches' feature. The hope is to get about 8-10 junior high pastors to write a 400-500 word true-life junior high ministry story. It can be funny, serious or ????. At the end you would just need to write a little practical application or 'takeaway'. Unfortunately I can't pay you for this, but I'd love to give you the chance to contribute if you'd like.
Details:
Length: 400-500 words
Deadline: February 15th
Send to: Kurt@saddleback.net include your name and name of your church.
You won't get your story back, and there is only room for about 10 stories. You won't get paid, but you will get your story published in a book which is kinda cool!
Here's the deal....
Standard Publishing is updating/revising/re-distributing Controlled Chaos, a junior high ministry book I wrote about 8 years ago, and one thing we wanted to add was a 'Stories From The Trenches' feature. The hope is to get about 8-10 junior high pastors to write a 400-500 word true-life junior high ministry story. It can be funny, serious or ????. At the end you would just need to write a little practical application or 'takeaway'. Unfortunately I can't pay you for this, but I'd love to give you the chance to contribute if you'd like.
Details:
Length: 400-500 words
Deadline: February 15th
Send to: Kurt@saddleback.net include your name and name of your church.
You won't get your story back, and there is only room for about 10 stories. You won't get paid, but you will get your story published in a book which is kinda cool!
1.29.2008
Well Hidden
Two weeks ago as part of our "Scarred" kick-off, we gave students the opportunity to anonymously share some of their hurts. To be honest, I went into it a little bit naively. Because our students come from upper middle-class families, are well provided for, go to great schools etc. it's dangerously easy to be lulled into thinking they don't face the same struggles other young teens do.
I was shocked back into reality as I read some of the responses. We simply asked students to write on a card:
"My Scar is _________________ and I deal with it by ______________."
The amount of kids dealing with (or not dealing with)significant emotional hurts was overwhelming. They hide it so well, but by scratching just a little below the surface we gave students the opportunity to reveal some painful truths. Plus, we were able to point kids to our fantastic 13 week program that helps students work through their hurts.
May God grant us all the ability to recognize hurting kids and the wisdom to help them navigate their pain in a way that brings healing.
I was shocked back into reality as I read some of the responses. We simply asked students to write on a card:
"My Scar is _________________ and I deal with it by ______________."
The amount of kids dealing with (or not dealing with)significant emotional hurts was overwhelming. They hide it so well, but by scratching just a little below the surface we gave students the opportunity to reveal some painful truths. Plus, we were able to point kids to our fantastic 13 week program that helps students work through their hurts.
May God grant us all the ability to recognize hurting kids and the wisdom to help them navigate their pain in a way that brings healing.
1.28.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Two of our Series: SCARRED...Life Hurts; God Heals
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Below Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 25 mins
Student Response: Above Average
It was an interesting weekend for us. Bad weather, a bunch of our kids away on a missions trip, two out of our four worship songs were new (which is what contributes to the 'below average' ranking...poor participation, not poor quality), the games were sub-par etc. BUT, the lesson was amazing, we had a couple of fun videos and there was good energy. I really think the subject matter of this series is what is setting it apart from so many and why the weekends are being received so well by our kids.
Attendance: Average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Below Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 25 mins
Student Response: Above Average
It was an interesting weekend for us. Bad weather, a bunch of our kids away on a missions trip, two out of our four worship songs were new (which is what contributes to the 'below average' ranking...poor participation, not poor quality), the games were sub-par etc. BUT, the lesson was amazing, we had a couple of fun videos and there was good energy. I really think the subject matter of this series is what is setting it apart from so many and why the weekends are being received so well by our kids.
1.25.2008
1.24.2008
VoluntE.E.E.rs
Not too long ago I was asked to jot down a few simple thoughts about youth ministry volunteers; specifically what to do with them.
If you're like most people, including myself, when presented with the "What to do with volunteers" question your mind may quickly start making a list of all the "things" your volunteers can do in your ministry...the various roles, tasks etc. that need doing.
But, when I thought about it a bit longer I landed on three big-picture things professional youth workers should be doing with their volunteers. Three things that, I believe, will yield longer term fruit than simply giving them tasks.
EMPOWER: Don't just give them tasks, but empower them to own significant chunks of your ministry.
EQUIP: Empowerment is great, but not if volunteers don't feel equipped and trained to do the stuff they have been empowered to do.
ENCOURAGE: I've never lost a volunteer from my team because he/she felt too encouraged! I have, however, lost several because they felt under-appreciated.
If you're like most people, including myself, when presented with the "What to do with volunteers" question your mind may quickly start making a list of all the "things" your volunteers can do in your ministry...the various roles, tasks etc. that need doing.
But, when I thought about it a bit longer I landed on three big-picture things professional youth workers should be doing with their volunteers. Three things that, I believe, will yield longer term fruit than simply giving them tasks.
EMPOWER: Don't just give them tasks, but empower them to own significant chunks of your ministry.
EQUIP: Empowerment is great, but not if volunteers don't feel equipped and trained to do the stuff they have been empowered to do.
ENCOURAGE: I've never lost a volunteer from my team because he/she felt too encouraged! I have, however, lost several because they felt under-appreciated.
1.23.2008
Wanna Join Our Team?
Our junior high ministry here at Saddleback has a couple of openings for college graduates interested in a two-year internship. We've had lots of interns on our team over the past several years and I think it has always proved to be a "Win-Win".
We win because we get an additional full-time member on our team for a couple of years.
Interns win because they get invaluable experience to take with them to their next ministry setting.
We all win because we get to share life and build lasting friendships.
If you're interested email our intern director, Jana Sarti, at Janas@saddleback.net
We win because we get an additional full-time member on our team for a couple of years.
Interns win because they get invaluable experience to take with them to their next ministry setting.
We all win because we get to share life and build lasting friendships.
If you're interested email our intern director, Jana Sarti, at Janas@saddleback.net
1.22.2008
Random Randomness
- Today I was supposed to leave for Kenya with some of our youth ministry team, my daughter and another 8th grade student. Unfortunately we decided it was best to cancel the trip due to the political unrest. The area we were to go is one of the areas most affected by the turmoil. I'm really sad because the timing seemed perfect, the team was great and I was excited to see how God was going to use us.
- Both my kids seem to really enjoy writing. My daughter has been faithfully blogging for close to a year and my 10-year-old son, Cole, just talked us into letting him begin as well. I'm interested to see if he sticks to it. So far, he's posted every day.
- If you live in Southern California or Arizona and are looking for a great event for your junior highers, I recommend Jr. High Believe that is held in Palm Springs in March. I happen to be speaking there this year so it may be the year to skip! They host numerous weekends all around the country, and really do put on a great 24-hour event for young teens. It's cheap, fun, spiritually challenging, easy and created specifically for junior high students. It may be worth considering for a future retreat.
- Relevant Books has a pretty cool little line called The Foundation of Faith series that has shortened, pocket-sized versions of some great reads. Currently I'm reading Thomas a Kempis' classic, The Imitation of Christ. Good stuff.
- Both my kids seem to really enjoy writing. My daughter has been faithfully blogging for close to a year and my 10-year-old son, Cole, just talked us into letting him begin as well. I'm interested to see if he sticks to it. So far, he's posted every day.
- If you live in Southern California or Arizona and are looking for a great event for your junior highers, I recommend Jr. High Believe that is held in Palm Springs in March. I happen to be speaking there this year so it may be the year to skip! They host numerous weekends all around the country, and really do put on a great 24-hour event for young teens. It's cheap, fun, spiritually challenging, easy and created specifically for junior high students. It may be worth considering for a future retreat.
- Relevant Books has a pretty cool little line called The Foundation of Faith series that has shortened, pocket-sized versions of some great reads. Currently I'm reading Thomas a Kempis' classic, The Imitation of Christ. Good stuff.
1.21.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week One of our Series: SCARRED...Life Hurts; God Heals
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 26 mins
Student Response: Above Average
One of our best weekends in a really long time, but for no real particular reason. It was just one of those times when everything seemed to fall into place. Our music was tight, our games were fun, the lesson was engaging and interesting (we are teaching a three-week series on how to properly deal with hurts)....A great weekend.
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 26 mins
Student Response: Above Average
One of our best weekends in a really long time, but for no real particular reason. It was just one of those times when everything seemed to fall into place. Our music was tight, our games were fun, the lesson was engaging and interesting (we are teaching a three-week series on how to properly deal with hurts)....A great weekend.
1.17.2008
Wicked Awesome
Tonight my extended family is heading to Hollywood to see Wicked. It will be the first time for most of us, but the second time for Rachel and Kayla. We decided to keep the kids out of school tomorrow, stay the night in Hollywood and have some family fun tomorrow. I'm not a huge musical fan, which combined with the fact that I don't like the Wizard of Oz makes me nervous, but everybody who has seen Wicked seems to speak really highly of it so I'm actually looking forward to seeing it for myself. At the very least it will give me some context for the songs on the soundtrack that seem to be playing in my wife's car constantly. Should be an awesome time.
1.15.2008
Planning Retreat
As we do at this time each year, our junior high team is heading out for an overnight Summer planning retreat. We'll spend our time talking PDYM strategy and tweaking job descriptions, planning our Summer events and brainstorming teaching topics based around our Summer theme which is Full Service Summer (sorta a retro gas station/garage look).
We'll get a lot of work done, but the highlight is simply the fact that we can get away as a team to hang out.
We'll get a lot of work done, but the highlight is simply the fact that we can get away as a team to hang out.
1.14.2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Two of our Series: It's Okay To Be Short
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 24 mins
Student Response: Average
We had a good weekend with a few fun elements. Matt Hall who just happens to be our shortest jr. high team member taught the final weekend of 'It's Okay to Be Short' and did a great job. Instead of just a band, we had an entire jr. high choir (something we do about every 6 weeks or so).
Lately we've been having a ton of first-time visitors which has been exciting to see. I'm constantly surprised by who brings friends. It's usually not the super popular core kids but the average attenders who are involved but not overly. My hunch is that our core kids are the students who have the most 'churched' friends and aren't rubbing shoulders with non-believers as much as other students are....something we need to change!
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 24 mins
Student Response: Average
We had a good weekend with a few fun elements. Matt Hall who just happens to be our shortest jr. high team member taught the final weekend of 'It's Okay to Be Short' and did a great job. Instead of just a band, we had an entire jr. high choir (something we do about every 6 weeks or so).
Lately we've been having a ton of first-time visitors which has been exciting to see. I'm constantly surprised by who brings friends. It's usually not the super popular core kids but the average attenders who are involved but not overly. My hunch is that our core kids are the students who have the most 'churched' friends and aren't rubbing shoulders with non-believers as much as other students are....something we need to change!
1.11.2008
A Favor and An Opportunity!
First, the favor:
I mentioned earlier that Simply Junior High is putting together it's first-ever junior high resource catalog. They would LOVE some shots of jr. highers playing guitar hero...which I can't seem to provide. If you have any, would you be willing to email them to Natalie@simplyyouthministry.com
Now, the opportunity:
Group Publishing is getting ready to release a subscription based newsletter for junior high workers, which I think is fantastic. It's a short, 10-12 page monthly print piece. They are looking for contributors to write articles and such. I don't know how to attach a document to my blog (is that even possible?), so I'm just gonna post the information below that Group asked me to pass to folks like you.
We need your help!
We’re creating a brand-new junior high newsletter, and we’d love to add your great ideas. We’re looking for games, discussion starters, Bible studies, retreat ideas, service ideas, outreach ideas, small group ideas—whatever has worked for you in your ministry to junior highers. We only want ideas that are specific to the junior high age group.
We’re also looking for longer pieces that deal with building your volunteer team and partnering with parents—these can be as long as 400 words.
So send your ideas to sfirestone@group.com, put “Junior High Newsletter” in the subject line, and if we use it we’ll pay you $50 for the short ideas and $150 for the longer pieces.
I mentioned earlier that Simply Junior High is putting together it's first-ever junior high resource catalog. They would LOVE some shots of jr. highers playing guitar hero...which I can't seem to provide. If you have any, would you be willing to email them to Natalie@simplyyouthministry.com
Now, the opportunity:
Group Publishing is getting ready to release a subscription based newsletter for junior high workers, which I think is fantastic. It's a short, 10-12 page monthly print piece. They are looking for contributors to write articles and such. I don't know how to attach a document to my blog (is that even possible?), so I'm just gonna post the information below that Group asked me to pass to folks like you.
We need your help!
We’re creating a brand-new junior high newsletter, and we’d love to add your great ideas. We’re looking for games, discussion starters, Bible studies, retreat ideas, service ideas, outreach ideas, small group ideas—whatever has worked for you in your ministry to junior highers. We only want ideas that are specific to the junior high age group.
We’re also looking for longer pieces that deal with building your volunteer team and partnering with parents—these can be as long as 400 words.
So send your ideas to sfirestone@group.com, put “Junior High Newsletter” in the subject line, and if we use it we’ll pay you $50 for the short ideas and $150 for the longer pieces.
1.10.2008
Radioactive Homer
On Tuesday, a bunch of the junior high and high school staff went to lunch together. A few of us happened to notice that the Claw Game appeared to have a Homer Simpson doll in some sort of funky radioactive get up, and that it was easy pickins'....or so we thought.
Once we got started, we refused to quit until we had him in our hot little hands. I'm sure it ended up being the most expensive Radioactive Homer doll ever purchased.
1.09.2008
First Impressions
If the studies are correct, that people make their minds up within the first 2-90 seconds, youth ministries have a whole lot of 'first impression' opportunities. The studies also indicate that once somebody forms an opinion, for good or for bad, based on those few initial seconds, they are unlikely to change their mind. WOW!
A few first impression opportunities in a typical junior high ministry:
- A visitor walks into your meeting room.
- A parent shows up to a parent meeting (wouldn't that be nice!).
- You make an appearance on a public school campus.
- Your ministry's website.
- Promotion Sunday
There are countless others. I'd be interested to hear what you think the top 3 'first impression' opportunities might be.
A few first impression opportunities in a typical junior high ministry:
- A visitor walks into your meeting room.
- A parent shows up to a parent meeting (wouldn't that be nice!).
- You make an appearance on a public school campus.
- Your ministry's website.
- Promotion Sunday
There are countless others. I'd be interested to hear what you think the top 3 'first impression' opportunities might be.
1.08.2008
Small Group Tid-bit
Last night we had a 90 minute gathering with our small group leaders to touch base. Since we are nearing the half-way point of our small group season, it felt like a good time to remind them of a couple of basics concerning the lesson time in their groups. I shared three super basic reminders:
1) Remember, the lesson time is about them, not you.
Peer pressure, wise choices, honoring mom and dad etc. are topics I've taught dozens and dozens of times as a junior high pastor. To be honest, I'm sick of teaching this kind of stuff but it's NOT ABOUT ME! Small group isn't the time to take what you've been chewing on in your own spiritual journey and try to turn it into a junior high lesson.
2) Experiential learning is the best kind of learning.
Studies indicate that people retain about 60-70% more information when it involves some sort of hands-on, experiential learning. Avoid the temptation to simply lecture your small group for 30 minutes.
3) Mix it up!
Don't do the same stuff over and over again. utilize a wide variety of experiential learning opportunities. If your students absolutely love something, don't over-use it or else it will become old and ineffective. A 'Field Trip' lesson is amazing until you start doing field trips every week....then they lose their luster.
1) Remember, the lesson time is about them, not you.
Peer pressure, wise choices, honoring mom and dad etc. are topics I've taught dozens and dozens of times as a junior high pastor. To be honest, I'm sick of teaching this kind of stuff but it's NOT ABOUT ME! Small group isn't the time to take what you've been chewing on in your own spiritual journey and try to turn it into a junior high lesson.
2) Experiential learning is the best kind of learning.
Studies indicate that people retain about 60-70% more information when it involves some sort of hands-on, experiential learning. Avoid the temptation to simply lecture your small group for 30 minutes.
3) Mix it up!
Don't do the same stuff over and over again. utilize a wide variety of experiential learning opportunities. If your students absolutely love something, don't over-use it or else it will become old and ineffective. A 'Field Trip' lesson is amazing until you start doing field trips every week....then they lose their luster.
1.07.2008
Movies
A quick review of three movies I've recently seen:
I Am Legend (Rated PG13).
Quick Thought: Pretty much the usual Wil Smith fare
Best Scene: The line of light slowly disappearing while the dogs wait to attack.
Review: Thumbs Up
Walk Hard (Rated R).
Quick Thought: I can confidently say it's the worst movie I've ever seen.
Best Scene: None. I'm embarrassed by the fact that I didn't walk out!
Review: Thumbs Down
No Country For Old Men (Rated R)
Quick Thought: Great story told much too slowly. Terrible ending.
Best Scene: Every Tommy Lee Jones scene
Review: Sideways thumb
I Am Legend (Rated PG13).
Quick Thought: Pretty much the usual Wil Smith fare
Best Scene: The line of light slowly disappearing while the dogs wait to attack.
Review: Thumbs Up
Walk Hard (Rated R).
Quick Thought: I can confidently say it's the worst movie I've ever seen.
Best Scene: None. I'm embarrassed by the fact that I didn't walk out!
Review: Thumbs Down
No Country For Old Men (Rated R)
Quick Thought: Great story told much too slowly. Terrible ending.
Best Scene: Every Tommy Lee Jones scene
Review: Sideways thumb
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week One of our Series: It's Okay To Be Short
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Average
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 22 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Our 'It's Okay To Be Short' Series is taking a look at two of the shortest books in the Bible, Philemon and 3rd John. We shortened our games, shortened our songs, shortened our announcements etc. to try to set the stage (I'm not sure students totally got the connection, but it was a fun effort...). It was our first weekend back to a 'normal' junior high program since before Christmas so that alone felt great!
Attendance: Above Average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Average
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 22 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Our 'It's Okay To Be Short' Series is taking a look at two of the shortest books in the Bible, Philemon and 3rd John. We shortened our games, shortened our songs, shortened our announcements etc. to try to set the stage (I'm not sure students totally got the connection, but it was a fun effort...). It was our first weekend back to a 'normal' junior high program since before Christmas so that alone felt great!
1.04.2008
90 Good Minutes
We just got out of an all staff meeting with Pastor Rick. We don't usually have staff meetings on Fridays, but since we've been a bit scattered throughout the holidays, I think he just wanted to re-connect. It was awesome. There was no agenda; we simply sang some worship songs and then Rick opened up the discussion to anything anybody wanted to talk about. For the next 90 minutes or so Rick talked off the cuff about the various topics we brought up:
- Politics
- Separation of Church and State
- Systematic Theology
- Church History
- The current situation in Kenya
- Saddleback's path into the future
- and several other topics raised by our staff
It was really good stuff...I could have sat there for another 90 minutes
- Politics
- Separation of Church and State
- Systematic Theology
- Church History
- The current situation in Kenya
- Saddleback's path into the future
- and several other topics raised by our staff
It was really good stuff...I could have sat there for another 90 minutes
1.02.2008
Random Randomness
Lots going on in my life and in my head:
- I was really sad to see Hawaii get trampled by Georgia. Unfortunatley they proved the critics right...that maybe they simply didn't belong in a game with the big boys.
- My daughter and I head to Kenya on January 22 so obviously I'm keeping a close eye on the political unrest facing the country.
- Our high school Pastor has accepted a position at a great church in Florida. This means big changes for us as we head into a new season in our youth ministry.
- For Christmas, I bought my wife Season 3 of The Office. Man, it's funny stuff.
- Sitting in the airport right now on my way to Akron, Ohio to teach a one day college class on junior high ministry. I'll be back in my own bed by midnight tomorrow night.
- Standard Publishing has asked me to update my junior high ministry book 'Controlled Chaos'. It was written in 2000 and surprisingly there hasn't been another significant junior high ministry book released since.
- Along the same lines, GROUP Publishing is taking a bunch of my junior high ministry columns and turning them into a 'best of' book. It won't be a comprehensive look at junior high ministry, but rather a whole bunch of unrelated essays on the topic. I think the best part of this book is that they've asked Scott Rubin, the junior high Pastor at Willow Creek, to write comentary to each essay. I think this is set to release in February.
- We're getting ready to kick off a fun series in our ministry: "It's Okay To Be Short" will look at the two shortest books in the Bible.
- My wife and I were talking the the other day when the reality finally hit us that we only have about 4 years until our oldest child heads off to college; that our 'window' with her is beginning to creep shut.
- That also means I only have about 4 years until I'm in my mid forties....I guess my window is creeping shut, too!
- I was really sad to see Hawaii get trampled by Georgia. Unfortunatley they proved the critics right...that maybe they simply didn't belong in a game with the big boys.
- My daughter and I head to Kenya on January 22 so obviously I'm keeping a close eye on the political unrest facing the country.
- Our high school Pastor has accepted a position at a great church in Florida. This means big changes for us as we head into a new season in our youth ministry.
- For Christmas, I bought my wife Season 3 of The Office. Man, it's funny stuff.
- Sitting in the airport right now on my way to Akron, Ohio to teach a one day college class on junior high ministry. I'll be back in my own bed by midnight tomorrow night.
- Standard Publishing has asked me to update my junior high ministry book 'Controlled Chaos'. It was written in 2000 and surprisingly there hasn't been another significant junior high ministry book released since.
- Along the same lines, GROUP Publishing is taking a bunch of my junior high ministry columns and turning them into a 'best of' book. It won't be a comprehensive look at junior high ministry, but rather a whole bunch of unrelated essays on the topic. I think the best part of this book is that they've asked Scott Rubin, the junior high Pastor at Willow Creek, to write comentary to each essay. I think this is set to release in February.
- We're getting ready to kick off a fun series in our ministry: "It's Okay To Be Short" will look at the two shortest books in the Bible.
- My wife and I were talking the the other day when the reality finally hit us that we only have about 4 years until our oldest child heads off to college; that our 'window' with her is beginning to creep shut.
- That also means I only have about 4 years until I'm in my mid forties....I guess my window is creeping shut, too!
12.26.2007
Christmas and New Year
I'm posting from our rented RV camping in the middle of the desert at a place called Ocatillo Wells. Each year for the week in between Christmas and New Year we head out here with several other families to ride dirt bikes.
Three of us happen to be youth pastors and we try really hard not to talk shop for the entire trip although I already ruined it by asking a programming question of one of my friends. Even though it's a riding the trip, that is only a small part of the fun. We spend a ton of time just sitting around doing nothing which is fantastic. We throw things, launch thing into the air, light things on fire.....all the usual stuff, which is always followed by me reminding my 10-year-old son how dangerous it is. Cole's highlight is when families toss their old christmas trees into the bon fire which makes a blazing inferno the likes of which he only sees once a year.
As I sit here on my laptop (I'm not actually sitting on my laptop, but you know what I mean), my son is playing his Nintendo DS, and my daughter is listening to her Ipod and checking text messages. Not sure I can really call this camping.
Three of us happen to be youth pastors and we try really hard not to talk shop for the entire trip although I already ruined it by asking a programming question of one of my friends. Even though it's a riding the trip, that is only a small part of the fun. We spend a ton of time just sitting around doing nothing which is fantastic. We throw things, launch thing into the air, light things on fire.....all the usual stuff, which is always followed by me reminding my 10-year-old son how dangerous it is. Cole's highlight is when families toss their old christmas trees into the bon fire which makes a blazing inferno the likes of which he only sees once a year.
As I sit here on my laptop (I'm not actually sitting on my laptop, but you know what I mean), my son is playing his Nintendo DS, and my daughter is listening to her Ipod and checking text messages. Not sure I can really call this camping.
12.21.2007
New Year's Lesson
If you need a new year's lesson and want to save a bit of prep time over the Christmas holiday break, feel free to borrow from us. Below is our new year's lesson called "Bounce". The big idea is how to bounce back when you mess up. Pretty basic new year's lesson....nothing too deep here.
Bounce
“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Romans 7:18-19
FACT: Everyone MESSES UP.
How to bounce back:
OWN it.
“For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” Galatians 6:5
USE it.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
DITCH it.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12
“Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Micah 7:8
Thought for the Week:
When I MESS UP…will I BOUNCE BACK?
“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Romans 7:18-19
FACT: Everyone MESSES UP.
How to bounce back:
OWN it.
“For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” Galatians 6:5
USE it.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28
DITCH it.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12
“Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.” Micah 7:8
Thought for the Week:
When I MESS UP…will I BOUNCE BACK?
12.19.2007
Wanna Help Make A Catalog?
Simply Junior High is creating it's first-ever print catalog and they need your help. They're looking for pictures of junior high ministry in action. If you have any fun pictures of students in your ministry we'd love the opportunity to put them in the catalog.
You can send pictures to andy@simplyyouthministry.com
Include the name and location of your church and a brief caption to go along with each pitcture.
Also, by sending photos, you are confirming that you have received permission from parents for the images of the student to be included in print material.
You can send pictures to andy@simplyyouthministry.com
Include the name and location of your church and a brief caption to go along with each pitcture.
Also, by sending photos, you are confirming that you have received permission from parents for the images of the student to be included in print material.
12.18.2007
Weekend Wrap Up Etc.
I was in our High School services all weekend, so really didn't get a flavor of how jr. high went. It was our second week of our 'unwrapped' Christmas series. Our lesson was 'What's So Merry About Christmas'.
The highlight of the weekend was spending Sunday afternoon with my brother and his family and our dad. That was capped off by the discovery of an amazing Shave Ice place about 10 minutes from our house. I'm a lover of shave ice but could never get the real stuff (only the fake, crunchy kind...)until now. Look out sweet tea, there's a new vice in town!
Now we get a short break: No youth services this weekend so families can attend our Christmas services together and then a jh/hs combo service on the weekend between Christmas and New Years which has become a fun tradition for us.
Spent all day yesterday running various errands, Christmas shopping and beginning to get ready for our desert/dirt bike trip which begins the morning after Christmas.
The highlight of the weekend was spending Sunday afternoon with my brother and his family and our dad. That was capped off by the discovery of an amazing Shave Ice place about 10 minutes from our house. I'm a lover of shave ice but could never get the real stuff (only the fake, crunchy kind...)until now. Look out sweet tea, there's a new vice in town!
Now we get a short break: No youth services this weekend so families can attend our Christmas services together and then a jh/hs combo service on the weekend between Christmas and New Years which has become a fun tradition for us.
Spent all day yesterday running various errands, Christmas shopping and beginning to get ready for our desert/dirt bike trip which begins the morning after Christmas.
12.14.2007
Hotel Bibles
Interesting article.
Actually, I find the comments at end of the article much more interesting than the article itself.
Actually, I find the comments at end of the article much more interesting than the article itself.
12.13.2007
Skate Park Help
I'm looking for somebody with some expertise: We are building a 'Skate Friendly' area in our new student zone (not a true skate park....) and our insurance company is requiring me to create a bunch of stuff that I really don't understand anything about.
If anybody has a skate park at their church, or knows somebody who does, and would be willing to give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it!
If anybody has a skate park at their church, or knows somebody who does, and would be willing to give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it!
Encouragement
I've had a buddy since college who is the most encouraging person I've ever met. Every single time I talk to him, he finds a way to sneak in an edifying comment of some sort. I always walk away from my time with him feeling a little bit better about myself.
I've been thinking lately about the power of encouragement. I wonder if anything has such a high return on such a simple investment.
A few words of encouragement to a parent of a junior higher can make their day! Pointing out something you've seen in how the love their child or saying something kind to them about their kid are both super easy ways to encourage a mom or dad.
A few words of encouragement to a 13 year old makes a huge difference. Look for something deeper than "I like your new hair cut" or "That's a cool skateboard" and point out something about his or her character. "I love the way you ________" or "I noticed the way you treated the new student" etc. take about 30 seconds but make a big impact.
A few words of encouragement to your volunteers may keep them around a little while longer. Point out an area they excell in and thank them for it. Express ways your ministry is better because of them.
Encourgement...I wonder if anything has such a high return on such a simple investment.
I've been thinking lately about the power of encouragement. I wonder if anything has such a high return on such a simple investment.
A few words of encouragement to a parent of a junior higher can make their day! Pointing out something you've seen in how the love their child or saying something kind to them about their kid are both super easy ways to encourage a mom or dad.
A few words of encouragement to a 13 year old makes a huge difference. Look for something deeper than "I like your new hair cut" or "That's a cool skateboard" and point out something about his or her character. "I love the way you ________" or "I noticed the way you treated the new student" etc. take about 30 seconds but make a big impact.
A few words of encouragement to your volunteers may keep them around a little while longer. Point out an area they excell in and thank them for it. Express ways your ministry is better because of them.
Encourgement...I wonder if anything has such a high return on such a simple investment.
12.12.2007
Checkered Flag...UPDATE
Today is our Student Ministries team Christmas party. We are heading out to Moreno Valley (out towards the desert...) to race go-karts on a mile-long outdoor track. The Karts are supposed to reach speeds of 60 miles an hour which should be a ton of fun. They let you practice for a while and then set up actual races. We're a pretty competitive bunch so it should be interesting to see it all unfold!
UPDATE: It's now 7:35 and I just walked through my front door. In a word: AMAZING. a few highlights.
- The track was unbelievable...the largest go kart track in the U.S. at one mile.
- Top speed was 70 MPH which felt like about 120 in the low-riding carts.
- There were times when I definitely felt like my life was in danger.
- Despite a 45 minute orientation preparing us, I completely spun out in my very first turn because I couldn't gauge the speed.
- We did have one unfortunate injury in our "main event" race which resulted in one of our interns going to the emergency room for 10 stitches to the knee.
12.10.2007
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week One of two week series: UNWRAPPED, Revealing Christmas
Attendance: Above average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 17 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Kicked off a two-week Christmas series with a fun weekend. For two weeks, we're revealing the good and bad of Christmas time. This week, we looked at three Christmas killers: Busyness, Greed and Jealousy. Next week we'll unwrap the good side of Christmas...true meaning.
Games were fun, music was great (but only 'average' because it was led by high school students which I never enjoy as much as when our jr. highers lead even though the quality is better)and students seemed to really track with the lesson.
Attendance: Above average
'Fun Factor': Above Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 17 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Kicked off a two-week Christmas series with a fun weekend. For two weeks, we're revealing the good and bad of Christmas time. This week, we looked at three Christmas killers: Busyness, Greed and Jealousy. Next week we'll unwrap the good side of Christmas...true meaning.
Games were fun, music was great (but only 'average' because it was led by high school students which I never enjoy as much as when our jr. highers lead even though the quality is better)and students seemed to really track with the lesson.
12.06.2007
Short Term Missions
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours with Eric Iverson from Youth Works, an organization that runs short term missions trip for students. Eric and I met on an enterprise rental car shuttle van in Chicago a couple of years ago and have been trying to get together ever since. I really enjoyed our time together and feel like he's the kind of guy that, if he was smart enough to live in Southern California, I would enjoy being around more often.
I was excited to talk to him because I've been wrestling with the whole idea of short term missions for quite a while and posted about it here several months ago.
A big piece of Eric's role at youth works is to help them re-shape the age-old formula of traditional short term mission projects which is basically: Middle class suburban youth group pulls into neglected community and paints, re-builds, etc. then loads vans and goes home feeling good about what they just did for the kingdom.
His vision is that Youth Works would begin to 'work themselves out of ministry' by helping students understand a more holistic picture of society, culture, justice etc. in the hopes that students and youth groups will begin to think about how to be part of the bigger solutions on the front end. If, instead of cleaning up a neglected neighborhood, youth groups began to think about how the church can be part of preventing the neglect in the first place. Of course, He articulated it much better than that.
It seems like youth leaders find themselves in a bit of a catch-22. By simply showing up in vans we only provide band-aids and may, in some cases, actually be pro-longing the problems we think we're fixing. But, band-aids aren't bad and if applying a band-aid exposes our kids to the gaping wounds of others perhaps they'll be motivated to be part of the bigger solution.
Instead of 'either, or' I think this is a perfect opportunity for organizations like youth works to help create a 'both, and' approach. I'm glad people like Eric are wrestling through it.
I was excited to talk to him because I've been wrestling with the whole idea of short term missions for quite a while and posted about it here several months ago.
A big piece of Eric's role at youth works is to help them re-shape the age-old formula of traditional short term mission projects which is basically: Middle class suburban youth group pulls into neglected community and paints, re-builds, etc. then loads vans and goes home feeling good about what they just did for the kingdom.
His vision is that Youth Works would begin to 'work themselves out of ministry' by helping students understand a more holistic picture of society, culture, justice etc. in the hopes that students and youth groups will begin to think about how to be part of the bigger solutions on the front end. If, instead of cleaning up a neglected neighborhood, youth groups began to think about how the church can be part of preventing the neglect in the first place. Of course, He articulated it much better than that.
It seems like youth leaders find themselves in a bit of a catch-22. By simply showing up in vans we only provide band-aids and may, in some cases, actually be pro-longing the problems we think we're fixing. But, band-aids aren't bad and if applying a band-aid exposes our kids to the gaping wounds of others perhaps they'll be motivated to be part of the bigger solution.
Instead of 'either, or' I think this is a perfect opportunity for organizations like youth works to help create a 'both, and' approach. I'm glad people like Eric are wrestling through it.
12.05.2007
Some Things Gained....Some Things Lost (Maybe)
This morning I took a quick drive by our soon-to-be-completed Student Zone. To be honest, the thing is amazing. Over 50,000 square feet of incredible space dedicated to our junior high and high school students plus an outdoor activity area. It will give us incredible new opportunities to minister to our community. As excited as I am, I also fear the leadership of our ministry could lose a little bit of what I love so much about us:
- Flexibility: We've never had our own space so we've always been super flexible. We get bumped, double-booked in rooms, etc. A couple years ago, our junior high ministry met for an entire Summer in our parking lot with a portable stage!
- Sense of Gratitude: Because we haven't had a lot of 'stuff' historically, I fear the building could begin to usher in a sense of entitlement; that we somehow always deserve the best. Right now we're thankful when the facilities team remembers to help re-set the chairs after the women's bible study!
- Creativity: Having a world-class facility sets the stage for laziness. Why think outside the box when we have the world's coolest box right here?
- Generosity: We've been super generous with the resources we've been given in the past. I hope we'll view the new Student Zone as an opportunity to be more generous than ever. Human nature tends to want to horde nice stuff.
- Flexibility: We've never had our own space so we've always been super flexible. We get bumped, double-booked in rooms, etc. A couple years ago, our junior high ministry met for an entire Summer in our parking lot with a portable stage!
- Sense of Gratitude: Because we haven't had a lot of 'stuff' historically, I fear the building could begin to usher in a sense of entitlement; that we somehow always deserve the best. Right now we're thankful when the facilities team remembers to help re-set the chairs after the women's bible study!
- Creativity: Having a world-class facility sets the stage for laziness. Why think outside the box when we have the world's coolest box right here?
- Generosity: We've been super generous with the resources we've been given in the past. I hope we'll view the new Student Zone as an opportunity to be more generous than ever. Human nature tends to want to horde nice stuff.
12.04.2007
Random Randomness
- Just picked up the book, 'Trust' and am looking forward to it. It's not a new book, but the title caught my attention.
- I really hope the Patriots don't go undefeated...how awesome would it be if the Dolphins were the ones to beat 'em!
- Have you heard of Stuck In The Middle? Check it out...neat ministry for middle schoolers.
- Group Publishing has turned some of the columns I've written for GROUP Magazine into a junior high ministry book due out in February. The best part is that Scott Rubin, the jr. high guy at Willow and a great friend, added his commentary to every page.
- My office has very little storage space and a whole lot of stuff that needs to be stored...not a good combination right now!
- Been spending a lot of time playing Tiger Woods '08 on Xbox after the family is in bed. My computer golf game is no better than my real golf game.
- Saved and saved and saved and saved, and just bought a 2005 Honda TRX 250 for my wife and daughter to share. It looks exactly like this one.
- I really hope the Patriots don't go undefeated...how awesome would it be if the Dolphins were the ones to beat 'em!
- Have you heard of Stuck In The Middle? Check it out...neat ministry for middle schoolers.
- Group Publishing has turned some of the columns I've written for GROUP Magazine into a junior high ministry book due out in February. The best part is that Scott Rubin, the jr. high guy at Willow and a great friend, added his commentary to every page.
- My office has very little storage space and a whole lot of stuff that needs to be stored...not a good combination right now!
- Been spending a lot of time playing Tiger Woods '08 on Xbox after the family is in bed. My computer golf game is no better than my real golf game.
- Saved and saved and saved and saved, and just bought a 2005 Honda TRX 250 for my wife and daughter to share. It looks exactly like this one.
12.03.2007
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: One Hit Wonder: Power of Compassion
Attendance: Above average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 22 mins
Student Response: Above Average
On Wed-Fri of last week, our church hosted the 3rd Global Summit on Aids and the Church. On Saturday we hosted our first Youth Aids Summit. We were expecting about 300 students and had almost 1,000 show up. One of the highlights was World Vision's Step Into Africa that allowed students a 20 minute journey into the life of a child affected by HIV/Aids.
To wrap up the weekend, we dedicated our junior high services to the topic of compassion.
Attendance: Above average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Average
Length of Lesson: 22 mins
Student Response: Above Average
On Wed-Fri of last week, our church hosted the 3rd Global Summit on Aids and the Church. On Saturday we hosted our first Youth Aids Summit. We were expecting about 300 students and had almost 1,000 show up. One of the highlights was World Vision's Step Into Africa that allowed students a 20 minute journey into the life of a child affected by HIV/Aids.
To wrap up the weekend, we dedicated our junior high services to the topic of compassion.
11.30.2007
Movies
I see quite a few movies. I typically sneak out to a late-night showing after the family is in bed and join a couple of buddies. Yesterday my friend Eric Venable called me and said he thinks I should add a regular movie review to my blog. I like movies, but I'm really not a reviewer. I watch them for entertainment not through a critical eye, a theological lens etc.
But I thought his idea was sorta fun so here's what I'll do....every now and then I'll share the three most recent movies I've seen and give a simple 'Thumbs Up', 'Thumbs Down' or 'Sideways Thumbs' review.
I'm not a fan of any particular genre of movie, and I have no real ability to identify why I like some movies and don't like others....therefore my reviews will probably be somewhat inconsistent.
Hit Man (Rated R). Best Scene: nothing sticks out.
Review: Thumbs Down
Dan in Real Life (Rated PG13). Best Line: "You are a murderer of love!"
Review: Thumbs Up
Enchanted (Rated PG) Best Scene: The opening scene making fun of Disney's own formula.
Review: Thumbs Up
But I thought his idea was sorta fun so here's what I'll do....every now and then I'll share the three most recent movies I've seen and give a simple 'Thumbs Up', 'Thumbs Down' or 'Sideways Thumbs' review.
I'm not a fan of any particular genre of movie, and I have no real ability to identify why I like some movies and don't like others....therefore my reviews will probably be somewhat inconsistent.
Hit Man (Rated R). Best Scene: nothing sticks out.
Review: Thumbs Down
Dan in Real Life (Rated PG13). Best Line: "You are a murderer of love!"
Review: Thumbs Up
Enchanted (Rated PG) Best Scene: The opening scene making fun of Disney's own formula.
Review: Thumbs Up
11.28.2007
Junior Highers and Materialism
11.27.2007
My Late Night Fix
I have to come clean. I have officially become a Stephen Colbert fan. The Colbert Report is, in my opinion, one of the best written shows to come along in a long time. It takes what John Stewart started and improves on it.
Not as subtle as Stewart, but funnier.
11.25.2007
Halo Boys
A couple of days ago, Marko posted about this photo essay of boys playing Halo. The passive, tranquil looks on their faces portray a strong sense of calm even though they are playing an intense game. Click on the link, look at their faces and then come back here and scroll down. My daughter took a picture of me playing the same game.
11.21.2007
Very Thankful
"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."
James 1:17
Thank you, Father, for the gifts you have given me....they are too numerous to list.
James 1:17
Thank you, Father, for the gifts you have given me....they are too numerous to list.
11.20.2007
Huh?
On several different occasions recently I've been told I look like one of these three people: Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel, Jason Kidd.
Other than my rugged good looks, my incredible build and my athletic skills I don't see the resemblance.
Please forgive my inability to place pictures and text properly!
11.19.2007
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Five of our Series: What's The Point? (40 days of Purpose)
Attendance: Way below average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 8 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Since this weekend was on the topic of discovering your ministry, we decided to have a shorter than usual lesson and a shorter than usual program in order to dismiss early for a junior high ministry fair. It was really fun. We had a carnival-like atomosphere set up outside our meeting space with 8 or 9 ministry team booths. Students got to mingle around and check out the various opportunites to serve within our ministry. The lesson was a pre-recorded, 8 minute lesson, on the various parts of the body of Christ.
All in all it was a really good weekend.
Attendance: Way below average
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 8 mins
Student Response: Above Average
Since this weekend was on the topic of discovering your ministry, we decided to have a shorter than usual lesson and a shorter than usual program in order to dismiss early for a junior high ministry fair. It was really fun. We had a carnival-like atomosphere set up outside our meeting space with 8 or 9 ministry team booths. Students got to mingle around and check out the various opportunites to serve within our ministry. The lesson was a pre-recorded, 8 minute lesson, on the various parts of the body of Christ.
All in all it was a really good weekend.
11.15.2007
Random Randomness
- I've had my Xbox 360 for about two weeks and it's already down. The 'red circle of death' came knocking a couple nights ago. Time to send it to Microsoft and wait and wait and wait.
- My favorite new show of the season is Cane (Tuesdays on CBS).
- I'm tired of teaching live on the weekends every week so this week we stole a page from our High School ministry and filming the lesson in my kitchen to shake things up a bit.
- My definition of Leadership is constantly changing. Does one definition always work?
- We're having a little junior high ministry fair this weekend and creating our own cheesy petting zoo as part of the theme. Rabbits, puppies, snakes, a tarantula etc.
- The best new idea we've added to our program recently is something we call 'Wildside On Location'. Our goal is to be on location at a different school every Friday or so with some smiling faces, a cooler full of drinks and some promo about our ministry. We set up shop at the busiest area and hang out with kids on their way home from school. So far, the response from students has been really positive.
- My kids get the entire Thanksgiving week off school. Looking forward to taking a couple days off to spend some family time together.
- My favorite new show of the season is Cane (Tuesdays on CBS).
- I'm tired of teaching live on the weekends every week so this week we stole a page from our High School ministry and filming the lesson in my kitchen to shake things up a bit.
- My definition of Leadership is constantly changing. Does one definition always work?
- We're having a little junior high ministry fair this weekend and creating our own cheesy petting zoo as part of the theme. Rabbits, puppies, snakes, a tarantula etc.
- The best new idea we've added to our program recently is something we call 'Wildside On Location'. Our goal is to be on location at a different school every Friday or so with some smiling faces, a cooler full of drinks and some promo about our ministry. We set up shop at the busiest area and hang out with kids on their way home from school. So far, the response from students has been really positive.
- My kids get the entire Thanksgiving week off school. Looking forward to taking a couple days off to spend some family time together.
11.14.2007
Pot Shots At Those On Top
Yesterday as we were leaving my office my 10-year-old son said, "Dad, I've decided I don't want to be famous". I found it hilarious that in his mind he was destined to fame until he decided he didn't want it. When I asked him why he had decided not to be famous he had an interesting response. "Because when you're famous everybody sits around waiting for you to make a mistake and then they gossip to each other about it."
Then this morning I came across this article listing the least sanitary CEOs. I'm fascinated by the way our society builds people up and sets them on a podium and then quickly looks for ways to take pot shots at them. It's a weird mix of admiration and envy.
It reminds me of the various conversations I've heard (and been a part of) when Christian leaders fall. A weird mix of admiration and envy, I think.
Then this morning I came across this article listing the least sanitary CEOs. I'm fascinated by the way our society builds people up and sets them on a podium and then quickly looks for ways to take pot shots at them. It's a weird mix of admiration and envy.
It reminds me of the various conversations I've heard (and been a part of) when Christian leaders fall. A weird mix of admiration and envy, I think.
11.12.2007
Weekend Wrap Up
Lesson Topic: Week Four of our Series: What's The Point? (40 days of Purpose)
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 23 mins
Student Response: Average
It's week four of our six week 'What's the Point?' series. It's part of the church-wide 40 days of purpose campaign that is going well but our ministry is beginning to feel the strain of a long series. We've got some fun stuff planned for the final two weeks so we should be able to finish strong.
Music this week was great. Other than an adult playing guitar in the background, it was entirely led by students which is always neat.
'Fun Factor': Average
Volunteer Involvement: Below Average
Music: Above Average
Lesson Quality: Above Average
Length of Lesson: 23 mins
Student Response: Average
It's week four of our six week 'What's the Point?' series. It's part of the church-wide 40 days of purpose campaign that is going well but our ministry is beginning to feel the strain of a long series. We've got some fun stuff planned for the final two weeks so we should be able to finish strong.
Music this week was great. Other than an adult playing guitar in the background, it was entirely led by students which is always neat.
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