- I feel like our youth ministry is finally feeling the pinch of the economic downturn. Registrations for any Summer event costing more than about $50 seem to be very low while attendance at our “cheap and easy” events has been huge. This is mostly a good thing because it has reinforced my love for low-key, highly relational activities but it’s a very, very bad thing for our Summer Camp budget!

- I rarely read fiction, but when I do I prefer John Grisham. I read his newest, The Associate, in two nights. Good stuff!

- If you work with High School students, you may want to check out Live Curriculum, Simply’s new four-year small group bible study. While I found the website to be a little bit overwhelming (mostly because I’m old and not very “techy”) I think this new resource is a brilliant way to provide your high school students a well balanced, four-year, small group bible study experience.

- Interested in joining our Junior High team at Saddleback? We are looking for college graduates who want to be part of our two-year internship program.  Click here for more information.

Haven’t posted much due to two days of stressful prep for the Dominican Republic and a non-stop pace since we landed. The focus of my time here has been to help teach a one-day PDYM conference which we are currently in the process of wrapping up.

Tomorrow we relax at a swanky all-inclusive resort before catching an early flight home on Monday morning. I was just told that there is decent surf a short drive away so I’m hoping to sneak away to catch a few warm-water waves.

I’ll resume blogging on Tuesday.

- I found this article concerning Michael Jackson’s patent on a certain dance move really interesting.

- Lots of other odd MJ news, but this has to be toward the top of the heap.

- Burglar falls asleep while robbing a church!

- 2 year old boy smokes a pack a day.

- Oh, and there’s finally a new simply junior high podcast up…it’s episode #42.

Lesson: Week 1 of our Summer Series, “The Lab”.  Each weekend during the Summer we are taking an up-close look at some of the more famous passages of scripture. This weekend we looked at James 1:22-24.

Lesson Length: 21 minutes.

Music: Really good considering the fact that we lost so many of our musicians who moved up to high school.

Attendance: Above average for Summer.

Volunteer Involvement: Fairly high. Our new “section” seating forces a higher level of ownership and interaction from our volunteers.

Fun Factor: High

Games Played: “The Orb” which is an elimination game in which four students try to name answers to categories while the orb is passed over their heads. The “orb” is a plastic water toy that holds a water balloon and when the timer goes off, the balloon is popped which covers the contestant. The last contestant standing remains dry and wins the prize.

“Up Close” is a game available at simply junior high. It fit well with the idea of “taking an up-close look at scripture”.

All in all it was a great weekend.

A few years ago I began using the phrase “fruitful and fulfilling” to describe what I believe is an ideal goal for our ministry experience be it full time, part time, volunteer and regardless of what our ministry role happens to be.

FRUITFUL: You’re good at it, you see some sort of results, the kingdom is being advanced, there is tangible “fruit” as a result of your labors.

FULFILLING: It brings a sense of purpose to you, it “feels” right in your gut, it’s something you are called to and gifted at. At the end of a bad, bad day you still put your head on your pillow with a sense of inner peace knowing you are serving where you are meant to be serving.

ministry….especially youth ministry….especially junior high ministry….is sacrificial by definition. When you and I signed up for it, we knew there were inherit sacrifices. Financial sacrifices, security sacrifices, family sacrifices etc. If you think ministry is an easy road, or that it should be, I’m afraid you don’t understand the nature of it.  But I’m not convinced that sacrificing fulfillment in what we do is part of the mix, and lately I’ve spoken to quite a few people who love ministry and want to serve well but aren’t fulfilled….they are fruitful, but not fulfilled.

Question: is “Fruitful and Fulfilling” an accurate (or even biblical) expectation for ministry?

Question: If yes, then what do we say to men and women who are faithfully serving Christ who aren’t experiencing any true fruitfulness or [...]

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This past weekend was our promotion weekend; when we say hello to a fresh batch of new 7th graders (my youngest, Cole, is one of them…). Because of this, the weekend was a little different than the usual fare.

We still had music, games etc. but instead of a lesson, we did something new. With about 25 minutes left in the service, we dismissed all the 7th graders to head to another area in our building for our “7th grade party” while the 8th graders stayed in our room. The 7th grade party consisted of some crowd breakers, some introductions, some fun prizes etc. It was super simple, but proved to be one of the most effective things we’ve ever done to get good face-to-face time with every new 7th grader.

Next week we kick off our 10-week Summer Series called “The Lab”. During this series we will be taking an up-close look at 10 of the most famous passages of scripture.

When I was a kid, the Magic 8 Ball was a popular way to kill some time on a boring Summer afternoon. My mom, of course, wanted me to have nothing to do with it as in her opinnion it was in the same category as a Ouija board or tarot cards….stuff we shouldn’t mess with.

I can only imagine what my mom would say about “Answer Me Jesus”!  I am hilariously offended by it.

I’m in the middle of two new books; both of which are really good.

Simple Student Ministry: From the folks who brought us Simple Church comes an easy-to-read student ministries version. So far, I have really enjoyed it and recommend it to anybody who leads a youth ministry.

Take Your Best Shot: Austin Gutwein founded Hoops of Hope when he was nine.  Six years later God is using Austin in some tremendous ways. Take Your Best Shot uses Austin’s story as the backdrop to challenge students to make a difference.  I couldn’t recommend this book more highly….it’s a must-read for every teenager.

- Today my daughter, Kayla, turns 15. WOW, it really is amazing how quickly time flies. She really has become a young woman who loves Jesus and is beautiful on the inside and out.

- DANG IT! After I typed that last line I thought it would be good to send the same line to Kayla in a text message at school….only to reach for my phone and realize I don’t have it because it is “in the shop” today.

- This past weekend we said farewell to our current crop of 8th graders. I never cease to be amazed at how much students change during their two short years in junior high. After almost 22 years, I’m still convinced junior high ministry is the most fun, and most important, ministry in the church.

- I found this post on Tony Jones’ blog to be a pretty interesting one concerning the emergent church etc.

- Is it possible to be really excited for the Lakers but not at all excited for Kobe? That’s my tension.

- Other than a short trip to the Dominican Republic and a local speaking gig or two I don’t have any significant trips or projects until February of 2010! I cancelled some stuff and said no to a whole bunch of other stuff and it feels GREAT!

- If you lead a junior high ministry in the Southern California area, there are TWO fantastic events worth considering:      

Stuck In The Middle;  November 20-21, 2009           

Continue Reading “Random Randomness”