Weekend Teaching Series: The Book (church-wide campaign, week 2 of 6) Sermon in a Sentence: Why the Bible was written.
Service Length: 75 minutes
Understandable Message: This weekend my goal was to share about why the Bible was written – we talked about how it was written to equip and transform us as an instruction manual, love letter and to show us God’s love. It was once again a different style message – more about the Bible than anything else. Hannah Rich shared her testimony about how God changed her life through the Scripture as well.
Element of Fun/Positive Environment: This weekend we played a hilarious new game we called App Showdown: the app this week was Temple Run and we had 2 iPhones go head to head on the big screen. It was super fun – one student managed to have a run of close to 10K right out the gate. It was epic – super fun and easy – it will become a regular game we play in the future – just change to whatever the hot app is at that time (Fruit Ninja, Tiny Wings, etc). We also played the classic Jesus Pwn3d you video near the opening of the service, too!
Music Playlist: Rise and Sing, Words That You Say, Learn to Love, Your Love is Enough, Burning One
Up next: The Book: 40 Days in the Word (week 3 of 6)
You are right, there are far more dangerous jobs than youth ministry. I am extremely thankful that my husband does not stare down the barrel of a gun. I cannot imagine the kind of strength a wife would need for that. No matter what the job each one of us, including myself, has and will face great tragedies. Just in each day there are so many ups and downs. Our lives are sprinkled with many different feelings and emotions from happiness to thankfulness, to frustration to sorrow. My hope is that not one of us would deny ourselves the right to feel validated in each and every feeling that we have that gets mixed up inside of us. I hope that in some small way this blog may be a place for someone in ministry to feel heard, connected, and uplifted through a comment, a funny story, or a serious post. And what I love so much about this community of women is the honesty shared about their lives, and the tone that we all take loving God and our husbands seriously but don’t take ourselves too seriously.
I write this in no way with a defensive voice, but with so much concern that many pastor’s wives are told that their feelings are silly or not important. Whether from someone at church or their own inner dialogue. Our “perspective” should be to accept and embrace our feelings whatever they may be and then with God [...]
Before we ever even started dating we were both in youth ministry. John was a teacher and volunteer. Leneita was considered the ?full time, paid? youth pastor. We will never forget the day that the Lord ?knit? our visions together and walked us into ministry with ?unchurched? kids. From that day forward we never did ministry ?separately.?That journey ?together?began about 15 years ago.
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These years have brought a variety of challenges in ministry, life and marriage. Along the way we have added children to the mix. Yet,with each passing moment we have both been “in the trenches? youth workers, who happen to be joined at the soul and the hip. Hurdles have included everything from planning programming for youth to personal financial burdens. Expectations of how a Christian couple in ministry should ?look?were thrust upon us by many others. And each expectation looked slightly different. At first, it was exhausting to try and be who everyone else thought we should be. Somewhere along the way we realized the only way we could find peace as a couple was to be who God wanted us to be as a couple. That has made all the difference.
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It has been said often that the best way to learn and grow in our Christian walk is to mentor and teach. There are two sides to this, what we ?do? and who we ?are? as a [...]
I love this video!! The story behind it is that the New York Giants coach watched it and later showed it to his team to teach them determination and commitment!
That spirit of commitment is in every girl…our job is to help them discover what in life is worth fighting for and to never give up!!
#4 – Let Ephesians 4:29 be the measuring stick for our posts, tweets, emails, etc.
I’m up early. The reason? I was really disturbed by the number of negative comments made by people in ministry about yesterday’s half-time show. I am hurt and discouraged.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve never been a purchaser of Madonna’s CDs. But the comments about her age, relevancy, past-her-prime…were hurtful. To whom, you may wonder?
To the Youth Watching With Us: If the same negative comments on Facebook and Twitter were made out loud to the students gathered around us watching the half-time show, then our students will think its OK to be mean because “well, she’s not one of us.”
To Madonna: She and so many others are watching us for the love we show. They know our motto is “Love Jesus – Love each other.” I don’t think yesterday was collectively our best example of that.
To Me: I am the same age as Madonna. The many comments about her age from ministry people made me wonder: Are you also saying I’m too old, too? Am I irrelevant? Have I crossed an unseen finished youth ministry line where my gifts are no longer valid, needed, necessary? Let me know because I’ll learn to knit or start playing Bingo if that’s the case.
Don’t worry; I know I’m among the chief of sinners in having a quick tongue. I’m examining myself, too. One thing I do know: no one is built up when we criticize and post with negativity.
Is this [...]
q Jeremiah 1:4 ?The Word of God came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.?
q God had a vision a plan for you. Do you have one for the assignment He has given you?
q Vision: The picture of God?s potential, purpose, and possibilities for your life.
q Show me a person without vision, and I will show you a person who is at a standstill in life.
q Proverbs 29:18 ?Where there is no vision the people perish.?
q Life Point: The key element to getting out of my present state is the vision that I have for myself.
q Jeremiah 29:11 ?For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope,
Vision Truthsq True vision goes beyond what I can accomplish on my own.
q True vision adds value to others.
q True vision attracts vision.
q True vision must have God in it.
q Acts 2:17 ?And it shall come to pass in the last days says God, I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.?
5 Road Blocks to Vision FailureWe’re very excited about our newest ministry – The Big Day of Serving. The Big Day of Serving is a one-day service event designed to be easy for a youth leader to get their youth group involved in service. The goal of Bid Day is to transform a neighborhood in a single day. It’s only 29 per person and includes lunch, a t-shirt, an opening Kick-Off Rally, all major materials and supplies for projects, devotional content during the day, and Block Party to end the afternoon.
Check out the 2012 Spring Locations:
April 21: St. Louis, MO | Medina, OH
April 28: Denver, CO | West Palm Beach, FL | Lynchburg, VA
May 5: Chicago, IL | Minneapolis, MN | Manassas, VA | Dubuque, IA
May 12: Nashville, TN
May 19: Nashua, NH
I found this article about Domino’s recent PR nightmare really good. While the focus is on responding to internet and social networking related PR problems, I couldn’t help but see some correlations to how me might better respond when our junior high ministries take a PR hit with….be it real or perceived.
Related posts:
Junior High Ministry | Junior High School Ministry | Junior High Youth Ministry Kurt Johnston and his friends share their thoughts about Jr High Ministry.
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Thanks for the food for thought