"I believe one of the secrets of effective ministry is to keep it simple - be simple... Simple does not mean shallow and simple doesn't mean simplistic, and simple doesn't mean superficial. It just means understandable."
-Rick Warren
Friday, April 27, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
153 Fish...
I thought you might like to see my post on my other "Church Gatherer" blog.
It applies to student ministry too!
153 Fish
It applies to student ministry too!
153 Fish
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Power Of Hanging Out
Some of the most powerful life changing moments for students don't usually happen during the planned, exciting midweek gatherings.
They happen during the unplanned times when you're just hanging out and spending time with them.
The things that students who used to be a part of my groups talk to me about the most are these times in our history together.
They loved the midweek gatherings, but they treasure these personal times together of talking and laughing one-on-one or in small groups.
Jesus knew the power of those times just "being" with the disciples.
This week schedule some time to go and just hang out with a small group of your students. It might be a moment they remember forever!
They happen during the unplanned times when you're just hanging out and spending time with them.
The things that students who used to be a part of my groups talk to me about the most are these times in our history together.
They loved the midweek gatherings, but they treasure these personal times together of talking and laughing one-on-one or in small groups.
Jesus knew the power of those times just "being" with the disciples.
This week schedule some time to go and just hang out with a small group of your students. It might be a moment they remember forever!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Take Two Gatherings Off In June?
The last week or two at the end of the school year was always a time of bad attendance for my group. Our students just seem to have too much going on with finals, end of school activities, etc.
I used to try and fight against it, but one year I thought...
"Why make them feel guilty and get myself frustrated? Why not just not have our gatherings on the first two Wednesdays of June and then do a huge Summer kickoff night on the third Wednesday?"
I tried it and it worked! I felt less stressed and so did they. I send flyers pumping up the upcoming Summer kickoff night and it was really cool.
The youth group didn't die from not meeting for two Wednesdays in fact it made them miss it! :)
If you have the same problem with low attendance during this time of year, then pray about trying this.
Throw the idea out to your Lead Pastor and explain the current problem and the new idea.
If he goes with it, then start promoting the idea to your students.
Let me know how it goes!
I used to try and fight against it, but one year I thought...
"Why make them feel guilty and get myself frustrated? Why not just not have our gatherings on the first two Wednesdays of June and then do a huge Summer kickoff night on the third Wednesday?"
I tried it and it worked! I felt less stressed and so did they. I send flyers pumping up the upcoming Summer kickoff night and it was really cool.
The youth group didn't die from not meeting for two Wednesdays in fact it made them miss it! :)
If you have the same problem with low attendance during this time of year, then pray about trying this.
Throw the idea out to your Lead Pastor and explain the current problem and the new idea.
If he goes with it, then start promoting the idea to your students.
Let me know how it goes!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Amazing Friday
Is it just me? Or...
Does calling today just "Good" seem wrong?
I mean today is the day we remember when Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. It's the day to remember when He did what only He could do: He saved us!
We went from being lost to found, from being sick to being healed, from being blind to finally seeing for the first time. We left the kingdom of darkness and moved into the kingdom of light.
Can I get a witness!?! An "Amen"!?! (Sorry! I got carried away!)
It seems like something worth so much more than just to be called "good"!
It's not until we really let it sink in how helpless we were, before Jesus died on the cross for us, that we can actually grow!
Watchman Nee in his book, "The Normal Christian Life" tells a story about a time when he was once staying in a place in China with twenty other guys...
There wasn't room for them to all bathe in the home where they stayed, so they went for a daily plunge in the river.
One time when they were out at the river, one of the guys got a cramp in one leg, and suddenly started sinking fast and couldn't stay above water.
None of the guys there were that good of swimmers, except for one, so they all stood there frozen!
Watchman Nee saw what was happening, so he motioned to the one guy who was an expert swimmer, to hurry up and go rescue their drowning friend.
But to his surprise the expert swimmer didn't move!
So he got desperate and called out, "Don't you see the man is drowning?"
The other guys there, started to get upset too and shouted at the expert swimmer too!
But he still didn't move!
Calm and collected, he stayed just where he was, looking like he was trying to postpone doing something he didn't want to do.
The voice of the poor drowning man grew fainter and his efforts got weaker.
Watchman Nee said that he began to think to himself, "I hate this man! I can't believe he's going to let this guy drown before his very eyes and not rescue him!"
But as soon as the drowning man actually started sinking, with a just few quick strokes the swimmer was at his side, and both were safely ashore.
Watchman Nee was relieved, but he couldn't let the expert swimmer go without telling him how he felt!
When he got an chance to say what he was thinking he said, "I've never seen any Christian who loved his life as much as you do. Think of the stress you would have saved that brother if you had thought about yourself a little less and him a little more."
But the swimmer's shocking answer revealed why he waited so long...
"Had I gone earlier", he said, "he would have grabbed onto me so fast that both of us would have gone under."
And then he said something that I want you to hear clearly as you read this...
*He said, "A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself."
Do you see it?
When we give up the case, then God will take it up.
He is waiting until we are at an end of our resources and can do nothing more for ourselves!
Max Lucado in "He Chose The Nails" said...
"The blood of Christ does not cover your sins, conceal your sins, postpone your sins, or diminish your sins. It takes away your sins, once and for all time."
An older Barna survey from 2004 revealed...
55% of people surveyed believed that "if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven."
They still think they can save themselves! They're still treading water!
It's only when we stop TRYING and start RELYING that we can finally be saved!
Here's my idea...
We don't just call grace "Good Grace" do we? No! We call it "Amazing Grace!"
Well, then from now on we need to call today "Amazing Friday"!
Does calling today just "Good" seem wrong?
I mean today is the day we remember when Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. It's the day to remember when He did what only He could do: He saved us!
We went from being lost to found, from being sick to being healed, from being blind to finally seeing for the first time. We left the kingdom of darkness and moved into the kingdom of light.
Can I get a witness!?! An "Amen"!?! (Sorry! I got carried away!)
It seems like something worth so much more than just to be called "good"!
It's not until we really let it sink in how helpless we were, before Jesus died on the cross for us, that we can actually grow!
Watchman Nee in his book, "The Normal Christian Life" tells a story about a time when he was once staying in a place in China with twenty other guys...
There wasn't room for them to all bathe in the home where they stayed, so they went for a daily plunge in the river.
One time when they were out at the river, one of the guys got a cramp in one leg, and suddenly started sinking fast and couldn't stay above water.
None of the guys there were that good of swimmers, except for one, so they all stood there frozen!
Watchman Nee saw what was happening, so he motioned to the one guy who was an expert swimmer, to hurry up and go rescue their drowning friend.
But to his surprise the expert swimmer didn't move!
So he got desperate and called out, "Don't you see the man is drowning?"
The other guys there, started to get upset too and shouted at the expert swimmer too!
But he still didn't move!
Calm and collected, he stayed just where he was, looking like he was trying to postpone doing something he didn't want to do.
The voice of the poor drowning man grew fainter and his efforts got weaker.
Watchman Nee said that he began to think to himself, "I hate this man! I can't believe he's going to let this guy drown before his very eyes and not rescue him!"
But as soon as the drowning man actually started sinking, with a just few quick strokes the swimmer was at his side, and both were safely ashore.
Watchman Nee was relieved, but he couldn't let the expert swimmer go without telling him how he felt!
When he got an chance to say what he was thinking he said, "I've never seen any Christian who loved his life as much as you do. Think of the stress you would have saved that brother if you had thought about yourself a little less and him a little more."
But the swimmer's shocking answer revealed why he waited so long...
"Had I gone earlier", he said, "he would have grabbed onto me so fast that both of us would have gone under."
And then he said something that I want you to hear clearly as you read this...
*He said, "A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself."
Do you see it?
When we give up the case, then God will take it up.
He is waiting until we are at an end of our resources and can do nothing more for ourselves!
Max Lucado in "He Chose The Nails" said...
"The blood of Christ does not cover your sins, conceal your sins, postpone your sins, or diminish your sins. It takes away your sins, once and for all time."
An older Barna survey from 2004 revealed...
55% of people surveyed believed that "if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in Heaven."
They still think they can save themselves! They're still treading water!
It's only when we stop TRYING and start RELYING that we can finally be saved!
Here's my idea...
We don't just call grace "Good Grace" do we? No! We call it "Amazing Grace!"
Well, then from now on we need to call today "Amazing Friday"!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
All For One
Do you remember the news story a few years about the nine coal miners who were trapped in a Pennsylvania mine and miraculously survived after 3 days?
I saw an interview with the 9 miners. I heard many amazing things that struck me, but the one in particular stood out...
It was HOW they survived.
They said they determined when they were down there that ALL of them would survive or NO ONE would survive. They had decided this so firmly in their minds that all 9 of these men TIED themselves to each other. It was all or nothing!
It was because they worked together and stayed together that all nine of these men made it through alive. (And by God's mercy and help!)
I don't in any way want to cheapen their story, because nothing about the trials of student ministry compares even slightly to surviving in a flooded mine shaft, but I do want you
to realize this...
If you want to succeed in student ministry you can’t do it alone. Jesus didn’t even try to do ministry alone! You have to build a team around yourself made up of students and adults. You have to find other friends who are leading other youth groups.
If you want really want to succeed in student ministry, then you need to find other friends that will "tie together" with you and decide to succeed together!
I saw an interview with the 9 miners. I heard many amazing things that struck me, but the one in particular stood out...
It was HOW they survived.
They said they determined when they were down there that ALL of them would survive or NO ONE would survive. They had decided this so firmly in their minds that all 9 of these men TIED themselves to each other. It was all or nothing!
It was because they worked together and stayed together that all nine of these men made it through alive. (And by God's mercy and help!)
I don't in any way want to cheapen their story, because nothing about the trials of student ministry compares even slightly to surviving in a flooded mine shaft, but I do want you
to realize this...
If you want to succeed in student ministry you can’t do it alone. Jesus didn’t even try to do ministry alone! You have to build a team around yourself made up of students and adults. You have to find other friends who are leading other youth groups.
If you want really want to succeed in student ministry, then you need to find other friends that will "tie together" with you and decide to succeed together!
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