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Saturday • July 31 • 2010

equipping, resourcing, and educating today's youth ministers

"Had too much fun at camp 52 bug bites and 14 bruises - would do it again- I love students"

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:26:26 -0700

“Had too much fun at camp 52 bug bites and 14 bruises - would do it again- I love...

Jesus and Football

By Scott

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:00:00 +0000

The Baltimore Orioles have just been awful over this summer. I mean, really, check out who they are ringing in as a relief pitcher! Meanwhile, Ravens training camp opened earlier this week.  Everything is fresh and new.  And, if you don’t think that there are spiritual / religious implications then… Meanwhile, in honor of the [...]

Dare you to move camp style

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:14:34 -0700

Dare you to move camp style: I uploaded a YouTube video: Switchfoot

Book Review: Transformission

By n

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:40:00 +0000

I just read a book entitled, Transformission: Making Disciples through Short-term Missions. I thought I would post my thoughts on my blog.

Many short-term mission books have been written through the years, but not a book that embodies short-term missions as a way of discipleship…until now. Michael S. Wilder and Shane W. Parker lay out a compelling book entitled, Transformission: Making Disciples through Short-term missions. With much academic experience and research, Wilder and Parker, explain the history of short-term missions and it’s impact on next generations. Next, the processes and principles behind not just using short-term missions as one of many options, but THE option for discipleship are explained. The book does a good job of giving a complete picture of short-term missions, past, present and projected future with practical advice in the end.

I see one area of concern. The authors explain the “seismic shift in social displacement of youth” with explanation from psychologist G. Stanley Hall. This was good content, but too short in explanation. The clear lengthening of adolescence was not discussed, which contributes to the challenges of discipling the coming generations. Their conclusion that bigger challenges (i.e. short-term missions experiences) is going to turn a generation around could actually cause youth to grow up too fast when they need to walk, not run developmentally through this distinct phase of life called adolescence. Certainly, I agree with the authors, short-term missions and lifting the bar high Biblically can help mature the next generation into great followers of Jesus Christ.

Wilder and Parker have a clear plan for how to implement Transformission through their acronym IDEA: Influence, Development, Engagement, and Assessment. Overall, this is a good book for pastors, youth workers, parents and others who care about the next generation and are using short-term missions in their ministries to pick up and read. It asks challenging questions about strategy, money, and partnership for local church congregations. Certainly, discipleship is a process of growing closer to Jesus over a lifetime and short-term mission trips can be used as part of the Transformation of all ages, but especially adolescents.

Visions of camp

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:42:28 -0700

Visions of camp

Quote: Jim Elliot

By n

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:51:00 +0000


"God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life, that I may burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like You, Lord Jesus."
Jim Elliot, Missionary1927-1956

The Church of Tomorrow?

By David Grant

2010-07-30T08:04:00.004-05:00

For years we've heard how students are the church of the tomorrow. To be honest, I hate the statement for all kinds of reasons. First of all it assumes a definition of the church that is inaccurate. If the church is a group of people following Jesus and living life together, would we dare say anyone under 21 isn't a part of that experience?

Also I believe "church of tomorrow" assumes students will lead someday, not today. Middle school and high school students who are growing in their faith are ready to lead now. We simply have to challenge them and give them space.

Here are a couple of examples.

Worship Experience For Student By Students

Last Sunday night had our first student lead worship worship experience. I know, late July is a horrible time to try something new. That's one of the reasons it was so cool. Ok, you wouldn't have been blown away by the event being cutting edge or highly creative, it was actually pretty simple.

About 6 weeks ago we invited some students to think about what they would like to communicate to their fellow students. They chose 1 Tim 4:12. The "don't let anyone look down on you because your young" passage. Pretty appropriate I thought.

We asked students to be a part of the music team, asked some students to pray consistently for the event, asked some students to help with tech and asked someone to teach. One student was mc and a girl who recently came to faith shared her story.

It was incredible! The sense of excitement was great from the students who were leading as well as the ones who were participating. Yes, I'm downplaying the work that went into the event a little, but the impact it had on our ministry was worth every ounce of effort our team put in.

Sandwiches For The Hungry Of Dallas

On our summer trips we challenged our students that mission trips and summer camp isn't a destination but a doorway. In other words, if those trips didn't somehow effect the way they serve at home it was a waste, well believe it or not they heard what we said.

Last Tuesday a few of our students showed up at the church to make over 600 sandwiches for a mobile soup kitchen. It wasn't my idea, they came up with it. I didn't discover the soup kitchen, they did. I didn't buy the sandwich stuff, they did. (I did provide my credit card). I wasn't even at the church when they met and made the sandwiches, the did it all on their own.



And yes, I'm really proud of them.

The interesting thing about 1 Timothy 4:12 is that it challenges the younger to set an "example" to the rest of the church. Setting an example means leadership. It means charting a course and showing the rest of us old people what it looks like to live out a radical life. A life that is consistently being transformed from the inside out by the gospel.

Students are the church of today. We must give them space and resources to live out the passions and gifts God has given them, then we must follow.

Revolutionary Truth

By Scott

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:00:00 +0000

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.   – George Orwell (h/t Michael Hyatt)

Pennsylvania

By Scott

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:58:00 +0000

It’s been that sort of week. Last time, we visited the Keystone state, it was big enough to split into two, but nooooo, let’s do it all today!  Besides being my own childhood home (eastern PA), it is now home again to former co-worker and fellow blogger Sharon (western PA). + Peer Listening Training is [...]

Speaking In “Big Church”

By Array

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:36:14 PDT

On Thursday afternoon of last week I got a phone call asking if I would be willing to speak in our adult services the upcoming weekend due to Pastor Rick having suffered an eye injury. The conversation went almost exactly like this:

voice on phone: Kurt, Pastor Rick is hoping you can teach this weekend…he is still in quite a bit of pain.

Kurt: Ummm….ummmm….sure. I would be happy to. Is there something specific for me to speak on?

Voice on phone: No….do you have something in your file you can use on short notice?

Kurt: Ummm….ummmm….I have only taught adults three times in my life so my file is pretty thin.

Voice on phone: Okay. Thanks a ton for being willing to help out…you will do a great job.

I love my Pastor, I love my church, I love that they felt comfortable making a last minute request, and I loved the opportunity to speak to the adult congregation at our church. Here are a few observations that struck me.

- Adults are a pretty easy audience. The pressure I felt was purely one of what I would call “content creation”….can’t give adults the same level of content you can give JH students….BUT adults are an easy audience! They all want to be there, they don’t send text messages or get up in large clumps to use the restroom. They don’t flick the ears of the kid in front of them and they don’t pass gas loud enough for the entire room to hear.

- Despite that….they really are just big teenagers. They have similar insecurities, similar struggles and similar hurts…..they are just packaged a little differently.

- Many of them have no clue about our youth ministry. I was shocked at how many parents introduced themselves to me saying things like, “we had no idea the youth ministry was in such capable hands” or, “we have never been down to the youth area…what else is going on for my teenager” etc. This was an eye opener for me and a reminder that no youth pastor can
assume parents are as informed, connected, in the loop etc as we often think.

- I am glad to be a junior high pastor! In 14 years at Saddleback, I have spoken in the adult services two times. I would certainly welcome the opportunity again, but last weekend reminded me that my giftedness and my calling (funny how those two [...] Continue Reading "Speaking In “Big Church”"

curating worship to get published in usa

By jonny

2010-07-29T16:49:09+01:00

good news - got an e-mail from the publisher of curating worship today to say that church publishing in the usa will be publishing curating worship stateside - yay! no idea when...

poem by Rainer Maria Rilke

By Gavin Richardson

2010-07-29T09:43:10-05:00

You who know, and whose vast knowing
is born of poverty, abundance of poverty --

make it so the poor are no longer
despised and thrown away.

Look at them standing about --
like wildflowers, which have nowhere else to grow.

-Rainer Maria Rilke

since I returned home from missions stuff in the end of june and my change of work in july i have lost a bit of touch with the homeless folks i was beginning to know in tent city. this poem which was sent to my by a friend has me thinking of those folks & the plight of homelessness in our culture.

Posted via email from gavoweb's posterous

Podcast Episode 10- The Authority Question

By Matt Kelley

2010-07-29T08:28:00.001-05:00

The latest episode of The Truth As Best I Know It Podcast is up.

Jessica and I are continuing with our discussion of Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith. Here we focus on question 2- the Authority Question.

You can listen or download the episode from Podbean, subscribe on iTunes, or listen on the player below.