Archive for the ‘Youth Ministry’ Category

“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” –1 Kings 18:37

This is my prayer for the students at the Northwest campus! I hope you will join me in asking God to show Himself to the students in our world!

We cannot ask God to answer us, if we’re not asking him anything!

Show Yourself, O Lord!

Today is Wednesday. The day that, for the past eight years, has been dedicated to my student ministry—whether I was a student, a leader or a youth pastor. Over the course of those years our culture has continued to warp and change as sixth graders, all too soon become 12^th graders.

Right now as I look into our youth group (SWITCH) these three issues seem to be the most common.

• Little to no belief in an absolute truth
• No thought to the consequences of their actions
• Distant or non-existent parental covering

The last one is a whole notha post for a whole notha day!

So, here’s what I need: If you are a youth pastor, a volunteer leader, or a parent of a teenager, take a moment and think of the three top challenges your group or individual struggles with today, and leave them in the comments.

3-2-1 go! 

 1. 100 people can do A LOT of work and make A BIG difference.

2. Rain always = Mud

3. 100 shoes with mud on them makes a BIG mess!

4. 100 people will never do exactly what you want them to do.

5. Wood stain does not come off with soap and water.

6. Snipe hunting is FUN! (Especially with 6th graders! I’m so bad…)

7. Inspired, lead and given the chance, students will work their butts off and blow you away!

8. Leaders rock my freaking face off… (We have THE BEST leaders at northwest campus, hands down!)

9. Not every student in your core group has given thier life to Christ. (Some are still searching.)

10. God can do amazing things when we take the time to stop and acknowledge His GREATNESS!

I love what I do! Any fun mission trip stories, or lessons?

All my life I’ve been “too young.”

• Too young to graduate,
• Too young to travel alone,
• Too young to be a pastor,
• Too young to have the success God has given me… 

yada, yada, yada…

Here are the top 5 ways you know you’re too young:

• While visiting students at school you get repremanded and asked to return to class
• You can’t drive the church van or rental car on the mission trip.
• You turn the corner to meet with a parent about their troubled teen and they say, “YOU’RE the youth pastor?”
• You can’t participate in you company’s 401K program for another year.
• You end up leading adults who are old enough to be your dad (or they are your dad!

I’m glad I’ve never listened to those lies about being too young!

What about you? Have you ever been too young?

We are feverishly getting ready for our spring break mission experience coming up this Thursday.

We’ll be traveling to Sulpher, OK to stay at a ranch for deaf and handicap children. We will work the land and make it a great place for the visitors who will be coming this summer.

We have about 80 students and leaders going. It’s going to be a great trip!

Starting Thursday I will be updating on our progress and how things are going! Check back to be a part of this experience.

Did you used to go on mission trips? What is a favorite mission memory?

Working in full time ministry now for almost two years has taught me a lot! One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that:

I can’t do it alone.

For the longest time I thought that asking for help was a sign weakness. Because of that I would kill myself to try and get everything done so that I wouldn’t need anyone’s help. I also thought that if I couldn’t do it all I was somehow failing my job and my volunteers.  But thankfully my eyes have been opened.

Asking for help is vital because it:

• Helps you realize you’re not SuperMan and that it’s ok to rely on others for support
• Gives those around you a chance to be a part of something too
• Shows you that God’s people have a lot to offer if you’ll just allow them
• Gives you a chance to rest and actually enjoy some of the fruits of your labors

I’m beginning to see that NOT asking for help is the real sign of weakness, and not allowing people to pitch in is the quickest way for failure in my ministry relationships and even my personal relationships. Plain and simple: not asking for help is just kind of selfish.

Do you struggle with asking for help? What benefits have you seen in your life when you’ve allowed others to give you a hand? 

Sometimes ministry is really frustrating!!!! 

It reminds me of the saying, “You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink it.”

That’s what I’m experiencing right now. I can point the way to Christ all day long, but I can’t make my students follow Him. It’s so hard sometimes to know the Answer, share it with others, and then watch them disregard it.

My mom says I’m getting a lot of parent training. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle, but I can’t stop trying.

Do you ever feel like you’re fighting a losing battle?

Last night I led my SWITCHgroup of 9th grade girls at my house. After the rootbeer floats, snacks and lots and LOTS of chatter we started our study through the book of Matthew. We read through chapter 3 with ten freshman girls who have little to no Bible knowledge. We passed over this scripture:

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”–3:12

Winnowing fork? Threshing floor? WHAT?!

My heart is to read through the powerful Word of God with my students so they will grow a love for Christ and learn to seek Him on their own. But I find myself questioning if it is really the best use of our time together.

What do you think?

There’s a recent study out using this personality profile system to determine the personality/ make up of the majority of students 6th-8th grade.  Taking the test really opened my eyes to some of the strengths and weaknesses not only of myself, but also those I lead, and those I minister to. 

45% of students 6th-8th grade are Sanguine (The people person)

27% are Choleric (The strong leader)

21% are Phlegmatic (Feelers) and

7% are Melancholy (Intelectual)

This is a good tool for parents, leaders, or just about anyone who deals with people on a regular basis. 

Take the test and see what word you are and share it with our friends at annameadows.com. 

I’m a Sanguine Choleric.  Guess it’s a good thing I’m in youth ministry!

I’m back from our mission trip to Eureka, Springs with a few snap shots.  I’ve never been more proud of our students.  The way they put themselves aside for four days and served those less fortunate than themselves reminded me why it is I love what I do.  We built decks, painted houses and brought a little piece of love to the families of the trailer park where we worked.  But probably the most impacting story starts with a boy named Cory.  (The boy in the brown and white stiped shirt below.)

Cory and his family live in one of the homes we fixed up.  After talking to his mother we found out this freshman in high school came from a background of abuse from his father.  Sadly, a couple months ago his father took his own life exposing Cory to the horrible experience.  Filled with hate and frustration Cory decided to surrender everything to Christ just a couple months before we came. 

It was his birthday on Friday and can I tell you what our group of students did?  Out of their own spending money they raised over $500 and decided to buy Cory a guitar.  The way they welcomed him in as one of our own makes my heart burst in a way that no words can describe.  Cory was thrust into a group of about 50 students and became instant best freinds with just about every student there!  I overheard Cory’s little brother saying to Cory, “It’s like you’re wanted… but in a good way…” 

Cory’s life will never be the same because of a group of students who looked outside themselves for just a moment and saw a heart in need of hope, love and acceptance.  May we live our lives everyday the very same way.