Intentional Living

This year has been crazy busy for me! Running from ministry event to ministry event, travelling outside of the county, preaching, teaching, discipling, and doing all of the administration that it takes to keep my role running. All of that running can make a gal feel pretty tired. I mean I am not the energizer bunny! 

As the summer was coming to an end and the leaves were beginning to change I realized that I also needed a change. 

No longer was I controlling my schedule but my schedule was controlling me!

I was going from meeting to meeting, event to event, checking off my to-do list and at the end of the day my mind would be numb. My life was happening to me instead of me impacting my world!

Does that seem familiar to your life? This world is so chaotic and fast paced. We are constantly moving from one thing to another and there is always more to be done.

Just Tell Me What To Do!

Sometimes I just want someone to TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!

Other times I’m on the receiving end of this statement.

Either way it’s a painful moment…

When someone is at that place they feel things like frustration, disconnection, hurt, despair and maybe most of all confusion. Somewhere inside us all we just want to do it right and to know exactly what that means.

If someone will just make “it” clear then we can do “it”. Then one of two things will happen- we will get the results we wanted or we won’t. If the later happens we can then blame the process and likely the person who gave it to us in the first place. If we do get the results we want we can keep going to that person to tell us what to do.

The New Covenant isn’t like this. In the New Covenant the plan is for us to go to God for ourselves and learn to hear from Him. In some ways I like the Old Covenant better where I could just pay someone to go to God and tell me what to do. The rules seemed more clear. The pathway was more defined.

Redefining Success

September is here.  

And with its arrival is the “ministry new year,” if you will.

Fall always seems to be the best time for youth ministry (unless you are very much unprepared).  There will be new teenagers moving up, new activities & plans & ideas you’ll have for your youth group & typically a renewed zeal that energizes us for youth ministry.

But as quickly as September comes, it goes.  And sometimes with it, that renewed zeal.

And although I’m all good with being passionate or zealous for Christ and His kingdom, passion is not enough if it’s not balanced with patience.

Now More Than Ever

 

The World grows ever darker. 

My pops taught me at a young age NOT to watch the news. He told me it would just fill me with fear and discouragement and would deplete my faith. He was right. I want to be aware of what’s happening in the world, but I can’t give much attention to the news because it’s always negative and fear-based. Same goes for social media. I have to be careful with what I allow myself to read and pay attention to. There’s just so much; and that so much can easily steal my faith in God and His calling on His people.

We are dealing with some crazy things these days: ISIS, new gender and marriage laws, increasing violence, a bleak political scene. We could go on and on with the examples. But you are well aware of where we are at.

My only response is Jesus. We need Jesus. In the aftermath of Orlando, the answer is Jesus. When it comes to voting for a president, we need Jesus. He’s the light of the world and hope of all the earth. 

Five Surefire Ways To Stifle A Quality Conversation!

Looking for ways to shut someone down while they are sharing?!

Probably not, but it’s almost too easy to do without knowing.

Check out these tongue-in-check conversation killers to see if you are guilty of stifling a quality conversation.

  1. One up their story – Your story is probably better or worse than theirs and likely a lot more interesting. So, see if you can get them to stop sharing by telling your similar story with more color or finesse. See if you can get them to feel guilty since your have gone through something far more difficult or silly for celebrating since your deal was grander!
     
  2. Interrupt – Cut to the chase by finishing their sentences for them. This will save time and keep them from having to find words that truly express what they are thinking or feeling.

The Power of a Trip... Not a Drug Trip!

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the song, “I’m going on a trip in my favorite rocket ship…”  You might know that song just as well as I do if you have young kids in your home.  This song comes from the popular kids show, “Little Einsteins,” which takes kids on adventures to discover music, arts, nature, & cultures.

There is something very exciting about going on a trip & just in case you didn’t realize from the title, we’re not talking about trippin’ on any kind of drug!  

I don’t know if it’s the excitement that builds up to doing something out of the daily routine of life, or if it has to do with going somewhere with people you want to spend time with, or if it’s in just getting away.  Maybe it’s all of those combined, but there certainly is an anticipation that takes place when you go somewhere out of the norm.

A Grace to Die

There’s a grace to live. We all want to live, as pain free as possible. We try to avoid discomfort unless we believe there’s a reason for it, a reward, a promotion, a better life and future. But we often define better not only as having more of something but as having less – less of what makes me hurt, uncomfortable, unhappy.

There’s also a grace to die. Many close to death experience a peace, a joy, a contentment that baffles those who are far from death. It’s a grace the “living” can’t relate to, a grace they’re fearful of. But for those who trust in Jesus, death is a signpost to the “dying”: This way to life. Death reminds them, “This is the last time you’ll see, hear, feel, and experience things the way they’re not supposed to be.” Death is the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26).
 
There’s a grace to die. As Christians, the call of Jesus is to take up our cross daily and to follow Him (Luke 9:23). Such grace is expensive, not cheap. The idea of living for another is not a compelling picture. If Jesus comes to us and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?,” few of us would answer, “Give me a cross to carry.” More quickly we would say, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” (Mark 10:36-37) We’re slow to understand.

Who's Next to You?

I thought it was going to be a great idea.  Hockey.  Friends.  Competition.  What could go wrong?

Everything.

A couple of guys from the church and I decided we would jump into a floor hockey league down the street from us.  The league needed another team and said we could play games later in the day to work around our Sunday morning schedule…church.

I tell you this to say, we were known as “the church” team.

We didn’t have enough for a full team so we recruited some guys from different circles and we played.  

It was fun…

At first.

You see the problem was, we didn’t know how to be a team.  

Sure, we had all played hockey before. 

Of course, we all knew how to pass the ball.

But with the skill we possessed and the knowledge of the game we had, it didn’t mean that we had a team philosophy.  We had our own philosophies of how things should work and it showed.

We had no structure of when lines would change so guys would play until they were tired and then head to the bench.  This would ensure that by the time the first period was over, we were all spent because we didn’t save up any reserve energy.

5 Myths of Feedback

Googling the words “cool youth group ideas” yields 9 million results in half a second. That’s insane. 

There are also probably thousands of bloggers on the inter-webs who give coaching, thoughts, videos, game plans, blueprints for growth strategies, DVD curriculum, etc... I am not hating on those bloggers, they are great! But do you know what the problem is with all 9 million of these results? They don’t know you or your youth ministry.  In Campus Target, we use EXTERNAL resources for growth and equipping all the time, but what about INTERNAL resources? It seems there is an overload of ideas and perspective that all are outside of your own situation and city. Internal resources are the things surrounding you right now that you could tap into and start using today. Feedback is a tool that unlocks ‘gold nuggets’ that have been stored up around you, but have not been ‘panned’ to be discovered. 

Truth vs Fact

Do you know those candy bar commercials where the person is acting like a monster until they eat the candy bar and then they are transformed? “You aren’t yourself when you are hungry.” I love those commercials because they are often humbling. I can easily get “hangry” (Hungry + Angry) if I don’t watch myself. This happens physically and can also happen spiritually.

When I go without talking to Dad (God) for a while or if my talks with Him are just on the surface level, I become like those monsters in the commercial. When my heart is misaligned with Dad I get a little crazy; I have MAJOR control issues, I prefer working to get the job done myself, I take matters into my own hands, nervous freak outs happen regularly, and then of course I blame God for allowing the craziness to happen.