The topic that spoke the most to me, was the topic of “This is Jesus”, based off the idea that if we’re going to follow Him, if we’re going to really try to live like He calls us, we’ve got to know who He is. We’ve got to dig into His life and catch the finer points of His personality, ponder why He did the things He did, and what does that mean for our lives moving forward?
Then, since we know Him, we can follow Him. And once we start following, He’ll call us to lead the people around us to Him.
Know, Follow, Lead.

So, why learn who He was? Because we can’t go where He goes without it. If we’re not earnestly seeking the heart of Jesus first, we won’t get anywhere. In relationships, in our marriages, in our jobs, in our schools, wherever. And Jesus won’t let us lead without it.

Try this. Open the book of Mark. It’s in the new testament, one of the four Gospels written by a guy who was walking right behind Jesus. Following Him every step of the way. Lucky for us they wrote about it.
In the first few chapters of Mark, it outlines Jesus’ life, and the beginnings of His ministry. As  you read (try chp. 1-3 to start) look for the character of Jesus. What he says to whom, how he acts in different situations.
As we read we find certain characteristics stick out. These characteristics we’ll check out over the next couple weeks of training, and hopefully adopt into our lives.

Oct 5-
The first: Forgive excessively. Jesus wasn’t on a mission to condemn, He was on a mission of forgiveness, of reconciliation.  He wanted to bring a broken people back to the Father who made them. In our lives, this is the first. We have to learn to forgive in ridiculous amounts the people in our own lives. Once we forgive them, we’re free to love them like Jesus loves them. After all, everyone’s broken.
Other Jesus characteristics:
He calls out the good in people.
He cares more about people than rules or traditions.
His family thinks He’s crazy. (mark 3:21)
He gets angry at injustice.
It’s not easy for Him either. He gets baptized, and immediately is thrown into the wilderness. (we don’t get a free pass either!)
He didn’t want personal recognition. He always pointed back to the Father.
He invites people into His house. He hangs out with sinners. At His house.
He doesn’t just preach at people, he meets their needs.
He holds feasts for people with what He has! (this is a good one. read Mark..)
And He continually spends time alone with God.

Just a taste of what’s to come. See you there!

Feb 1st:
if you don’t speed, you don’t have to keep watch for cops.

pastor your family, even if your family is just you.

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

“Don’t faint in the process, God is preparing you for what He is preparing for you.”

make peace with your past, so it doesnt screw up the present.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

overprepare, then go with the flow.

owe nothing to anyone, except love.

nothing is ever as big a deal as we make it out to be. ask the question: in 5 years, will this matter?

stop trying to be accepted and be exceptional.

do not be the poison, & whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. for His glory.

eating rocks may lead to broken teeth.

we are educated far beyond the level of our obedience. if you would just do what you already knew, you’d be dangerous.

be faithful (even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.)

just because you win the battle doesn’t mean you were right.

don’t wear socks with sandals, unless you’re living in the feudal era japan.

a man came to Jesus.”If you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus took pity. “I will,” Jesus replied. “Be clean.”

i am not God.

jesus wins.

if you don’t have the audacity to act, you’re not a visionary, you’re a daydreamer.

build for where you want to go, not for where you are now.

you cannot be in two places at once.

The limit to your abilities is where you place it.

i must be intentional about being grateful and encouraging. it is not natural for me.

An idea without implementation isn’t creation. True creativity results in a product.

Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If ya can’t eat it or play with it, pee on it & walk away.

if we were meant for another world than this, what’s keeping us from building that world here, now?

Drive being described as having vision, having a ‘hunger’ (via Steven Furtick), a deep desire to see the people of this world have an everlasting encounter with our Father in heaven, a deep desire to follow the mission of Christ.

I think it begs the question: (ah, so many, so little answers..)  can one matter more than the other? At what point does drive, passion overcome the talent? The need for excellence?

Perry Noble, I like what you’re throwing down.
If you’ve read his blog, great, if you haven’t you should. 
And if not: short version. I think Perry hits this nail on the head, and I’m not sure if he realizes it, but he probably does because he’s freakin’ Perry Noble.

(I have a point, I promise, and am not simply rambling about P.N.)

There is a specific distinction to make between excellence in the church and passion in people.

When we look to surround ourselves in the Church (or anywhere else for that matter) we SHOULD strive for excellence in our WORK, but acknowledge and embrace OUR brokenness within ourselves that is covered over by the mercy of Christ.

Let me lay it out:

Church: deserves excellence FROM us (p.n.-   because we have the spirit of the almighty God working within us and for us and leading us, and have no excuse not to give Him our best!)
People: receive perfection FROM christ (i am broken. Jesus has got my back.)

God picked a bunch of broken, messed up dudes to spread the message of hope and salvation to the word. And they still messed up even while doing it!
but they KEPT DOING IT. 
They had the drive, the initiative, the passion to keep going, to have faith in God’s call for their lives.

Is that your final answer?
Hire people who are competent in their area, who strive for excellence, who think the Kingdom of God deserves nothing but their best effort, yet have mercy on their brokenness, and honor their faithfulness beyond their broken pieces.

(there’s my take. I’m no Perry Noble, but that’s what I’ve got. I appreciate all thoughts, clarifications, questions, and ‘you’re just plain wrongs’!)

Fundraising Events due to lack of money

There were some good ideas mentioned here, but a word to the wise: pick one fundraiser and stick with it. Too many fundraisers over the year can burn out your kids and your congregation. Pick one and do it hard, and do it strong and well. Auctioning off the students to do a task for a member or something works well; it teaches them to serve, and raises the needed money. There are also several books written about doing youth ministry on a small to nonexistent budget. It can be done. It doesn’t hurt to ask the kids to help pay for stuff too; bring $2 for pizza on youth night, etc.

Also, look into partnering with other area churches in doing activities to offset costs. This can be a great tool to encourage unity in the community. Talking to other youth ministers and sharing ideas can be a valuable resource.

Teen Drugs/Alcohol/Sex/Immoral Behaviors

This is a big one. All youth ministries struggle with this, and for parents, this is their reason for sending their kid to a church youth group. They expect the kids to be fixed and good by the time they leave. This is an unreasonable expectation. Why? Because first, it is not the responsibility of the church to ‘fix’ students, nor to make them ‘good people’. It is to make them followers of Christ, which is often a dangerous undertaking.

However. The church can guide and train youth in the way they should go. And this DOES mean that in youth ministry, we can address the above topics. I will include with this the lesson series I did (complete with verses, questions, etc.) on these topics.
The danger with these issues, is that our society today will focus on ‘whats right for me’ or, ‘the bible isn’t against it, so it must be for it/ or it doesn’t matter’. (Just because the Bible doesn’t talk about it doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it!)

Our students have also become desensitized to these things, because they see them everyday. The idea with these things is to teach our kids about the LONG TERM effects/consequences of their actions. Teaching them this principle: The Best Question Ever. What is the wise thing for me to do, in light of my past experiences, current circumstances, and future hopes and dreams? Getting them to see the long term, the road ahead, the future, and encouraging them to THINK before they act. Now, along with asking that question, you will get types of people that were: totally naïve. “We had no idea!” That: knew, but really don’t care. “We understand the risks, but I’m going to keep doing this.” That: scoff and ridicule. “You want me to think about what? Pshaw. As if.” Helping our students understand that we care about their future, and are invested in seeing them attain it with Christ goes a long way in partnering with them.

Growing youth group to size needing youth ministry leader

When it is time, God will let you know.

Youth is addicted to secular portals via internet.

This is true of youth everywhere, and while the desired impact stated in your action plan is great – (i.e. take their focus off the secular portals) it is not reality. Youth in today’s culture have an ingrained desire to be in community, and these social networking sites allow them to do this with minimal commitment. The best response as a youth ministry is to join with them in it. This sounds like giving in, but it isn’t. It is meeting the kids where they are at, and providing a Christ centered corridor within the already used websites for them to share.

Another way to offset this fear of their (parent’s) kids being on the internet and sharing too much personal information, is to train both parents and students on how to best use these resources, such as Facebook, or myspace. Church ministries can make excellent use of both of these, with their own facebook page or group, or myspace page where the kids can check up on church activities, ask the youth minister/pastor questions, and connect with others in the youth group.

Youth that are lacking leadership and character

I loved the ‘actions needed’** on this point- it is absolutely necessary to give our students leadership in different things, to foster the sense of ownership in their own faith life. One of the reasons that some youth lack these things is that it is not expected of them. If we raise expectations of our students, they can and will rise to the occasion. The best thing we can do for them is give them a task, and let them fail at it, if they must, to learn responsibility and leadership skills.

**actions they wanted to try: place youth in leadership roles with church activities.

I’m sure you’ve heard this story before about the disciples. The camp that I worked at one summer even had a song about it. “Peter was rowing across the lake.. Hey! Peter was rowing across the lake.. Hey!” But this time, I hope you find something different.

One day he [Jesus] got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Let’s break this down. Normally this passage is preached as Jesus calms the storm, Jesus calms the storm in our lives, blah blah blah.

Different perspective.

I see a few different parts to this story that make it so unique.
First:
Jesus gives a promise. Did you see it? “Let us go to the other side of the lake.” Jesus doesn’t say, “Well, let’s get in the boat and see what happens.” He gives a destination, a purpose for their journey. He makes his intention for their journey known. The other side of the lake. We’re going, and we’re going to make it.

Second:
The disciples forget it. Did you hear them? “Master, master we are perishing!!” We are perishing. We aren’t going to make it. They forgot what they were doing and where Jesus said they were going.

Pause.
Both these points have profound theological impact for the way we live our lives. Jesus makes us a promise. We forget it. Over and over and over and over again. Jesus tells us that he knows where we are going. We forget it. Over and over and over again. But thats not the end of the story! Don’t miss the next half!!

Third:
Jesus rescues them. In this story, the timeline of things happens in this order: Jesus promises, the disciples forget (and give into their fear) and then Jesus wakes up. First thing he does? “He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.” He rescues them, removes the reason for their fear. Saves their lives. Rescue comes first.

Fourth:
Jesus rebukes them. Where is your faith? Easy enough, right?

Fifth:
The disciples marveled. Their faith was strengthened. More of who Christ is was revealed to them through the rescue. Let us marvel at what Christ is doing to redeem our lives, our doubts, our disbelief, and our pain.

How often does God promise us something and because we haven’t seen it carried to fruition, we think it won’t? Who is Christ revealing himself to be through your pain? Through your rescue? How is your faith being strengthened because of it?

We can’t see the promise for the pain. It’s not just you. Even the disciples who saw Jesus face to face struggled.
What we miss through the pain, is that our PAIN is God’s agent for change and strength.

My church this year has focused on strengthening families for life. Strengthen your family through the pain, by seeing the promise at the end.

Personally, I’ve seen this happen. Years ago, when I was in high school, I was having a rough time with some close friends. (who didn’t have a rough time in high school?? geez.) Alone in my room one night, I broke down. Cried out to God, because I was so deep in the pain, I couldn’t see the end result.

God speaks through our pain. God revealed his promise for me that night. I heard him say, “Do not be afraid. I have a plan for you. Life is gonna rock.” (yes, God says ‘gonna’ and ‘rock’.)
I haven’t yet reached that point. I haven’t had the total fruition of that promise come to pass. And I admit, sometimes I miss the promise through the salt water in my eyes. (Oh man does it sting!!)

My hope for you is this:

My hope for you in the new year and beyond is that you are faithful to the process through the pain so that the promise is fulfilled. And that you keep your eyes open for what the rescue is revealing, because God is faithful.

Thank you for letting me love your children. And to my youth: thank you for letting me walk beside you. Be faithful. Live so that Christ is revealed.

And
I.
am.
sure.
of this: that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (phil 1:6)

amen.

may i long for Your presence so intently, that it consumes my soul.

may i become invisible. may i decrease, so You may increase.

may i cease to be seen, so that You can shine through.

may i hear what You see, so loud that it fells the walls.

may i love as You have loved.

may i be incomplete, that You may fill me.

may i be broken, that You may heal me.

may i be disturbed, that You may comfort me.

may i know beyond shadow of a doubt, that You have rescued my soul.

take my heart before it beats its last
take my hands Lord
before they fail

fall on me, grace
before I fall apart
take the pain of broken bones Lord
and heal my heart

fall on me, grace
like rain on fields
renew, restore me

take my soul before it fades Lord
take my life before it wanes

Fall on me, grace
like breeze on the sea
Fall on me, love
come from Thee

may my longing after You be a desperate run

“so here we are. we live in a world where we have the leverage to make things happen, the desire to do work we believe in, and a marketplace that is begging us to be remarkable.

and yet, in the middle of these changes, we still get stuck.

stuck following archaic rules. stuck in industries that not only avoid change but actively fight it.
stuck in fear of what our boss will say, stuck because we’re afraid we’ll get in trouble.

most of all, we’re stuck atcking like managers or employees, instead of like the leaders
we could become.

we’re embracing a factory instead of a tribe.”

what’s your factory? where are you stuck? where could you bust out?

this spoke to me today. i’m going to keep reading. keep hoping.

the indie music because it is peaceful, and musicians because they breathe community and exhale their souls.We cannot help but be drawn to that. but i must be transparent and clear.

i love the indie lifestyle, because it feels peaceful, and that is but a taste of the peace my soul longs for.
but i don’t fit there.
my soul is a different kind of passionate. more fire and loud than trickling and soft.
and as much as music resonates with my soul, there must be something for which I am more passionate.
what is that? where can i go to seek that?

simply put, i thrive in service. to offer my life as a living sacrifice. to breathe in other souls like oxygen to lungs.

but how to be great…