- Last weekend was an interesting one in our JH ministry. The program was strong, music was good, the games were really fun and the crowd was great. The only problem was…well, me! I put more time and energy into my message than usual, but for some reason it just felt “off”. Students and staff seemed to really like it but I felt out of sync which hasn’t happened in a while.

- Because I jumped into full time ministry so early, I put seminary/grad school off for far too long and have been spending the last several years pursuing a graduate degree in christian leadership. I am at the very end of the road but finding time to fulfill my final graduation requirements really challenging. When younger youth workers ask me about Seminary I am often torn because so much of my ministry journey is due to the fact that I got lots of experience at an early age. But going back to school later in life is BRUTAL! My advice is always to try to go straight to Grad school so you don’t have to worry about it later.

- The Broncos beat a decent Dallas Cowboy team to advance to 4-0! The next two weeks against Patriots and Chargers should be an interesting test. On twitter, I joked about Kyle Orten being league MVP and people thought I was serious! very funny.

- On Thursday I am speaking in a general session for our Purpose-driven Childrens Ministry conference and I’m pretty excited. Our youth ministry has a FANTASTIC relationships with our children’s department which I realize isn’t the case for lots of churches out there.

- Just sold our Toyota Sequoia and replaced it with a Dodge Ram Quad Cab truck that will be great for our various outdoor adventures. the first thing I did was buy a set of black rims to make it look a little “tougher”. With a Ford Expedition and a big truck, the Johnston’s carbon footprint continues to be significantly large. My motto: “DRILL NOW!”. When Al Gore quits living in mansions and flying in private jets I may begin to listen to what he is preaching…apparently saving the earth is everybody’s job except the politicians. Okay, sorry for that rant.

I don’t do this every week, but after I write my lessons I like to “pour” them through a little filter I’ve created that helps ensure I have written a well balanced lesson. I like to ask myself this question: “Does this lesson T.E.A.C.H.?

Is it True? Have I used scripture appropriately, I’m I being true to the text? Our my opinnions backed up by God’s word?
Is it Encouraging? Do I encourage students toward some sort of life change?
Is it Applicable? Have I helped them apply this to their lives? Have I provided some action steps?
Is it Clear? Is this lesson easy to understand? Is there a clear “flow”
Is it Humorous? Have they giggled, chuckled etc. at all during the lesson. Humor helps people learn.

Here is a short list of what I believe to be fundamental when teaching/speaking to junior highers:

- The first minute is the most important minute
- It doesn’t need to be long to be good
- If it’s going to be long it needs to be good
- Junior Highers like to laugh
- Junior Highers like stories
- Be authenic
- Be relevant to THEIR world
- When possible, include active learning ingredients. Students learn more when they experience it.
- Offer specific application steps
- The last minute is also the most important minute

- I have been invited today to a lunch for Christian bloggers to talk about our strategy, where we get ideas for content etc. Not sure how I got on the invite list…have these people ever read my blog!
- Denver Broncos are 2-0! This despite Kyle Orten.
- How to earn points with your wife: The Crock Pot. Before I headed out of town yesterday, my only “chore” was to put dinner in the crock pot so it would be ready for my family when they got home last night. I missed the meal but apparently it was delicious. My wife has been singing my praises ever since.
- I am currently evesdropping on a conversation between Mark Matlock and Kara Powell…two brilliant youth workers. I am trying not to say too much. You know the old saying, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”.

We are about to kick off our small groups for the new school year so this week we hosted two nights of small group leader training. This morning I was debriefing the night in my mind and I thought of a few things that may be worth passing along concerning volunteer training.

-You Will Never Cover EVERYTHING! Our training for small group leaders last about 3 hours which seems like a long time until you actually get down to it. The reality is that there is so much involved in leading a small group of junior highers that 3 hours really only allows you to cover the bare necessities. Because of this it’s important to identify what those bare necessities are and make sure your leaders hear the most important stuff at the front end of their volunteer tenure.

-Embrace The Idea Of Ongoing Training. Because you can’t cover it all in one or two training sessions, create a culture of “ongoing training” with your volunteers. Take them to coffee, send them links to websites, attach an article to an email, point them to blogs, books etc. that will encourage them.

- Ease their fears. I have learned that the best thing we can do for our new leaders is often simply help ease their fears. So many leaders come into ministry feeling “called” but very uncertain and nervous. Be sure to fill your training time with lots of stories of success, testimonies from veteran leaders etc.

Today, Doug Fields made public his resignation from Saddleback Church. A simple little blog post can’t begin to express the level of admiration and gratitude I have for Doug. I met Doug back in the late 80′s when I was taking my very first youth ministry class. Doug, only in his mid-twenties himself, was my professor! We have been friends ever since and I have had the honor of serving under his incredible leadership here at Saddleback since 1997.

 Doug doesn’t have his future plans nailed down, but my hunch is that while the youth team at Saddleback will be seeing a little less of him, the “youth ministry world” will be seeing a little more of him. This, of course, is GREAT for the world of youth ministry, but not so great for the world of Kurt.  We miss him already.

If you would like to read the letter he wrote to the Saddleback family, you can click the link below.

http://tinyurl.com/9sqpgo

- Ever been way too busy with way too much really good stuff? That’s my world right now. Fun, but a little too stressful for my taste.

- We are kicking off a new, six-week, series this weekend to go along with our church-wide series. The church is calling their series “Life’s Healing Choices” which didn’t seem like it would fly with JH students. Our title: HAPPY

- If your church, or a church you know, is looking for a youth pastor let me know. I have heard from several highly qualified youth pastors who are beginning to look for a position.

- Two fantastic JH events for So. Cal middle school ministries:  Stuck In The Middle (Nov. 20-21)   and  Believe (Jan. 29-30)  Both of these are affordable events that your students will absolutely love!  Don’t live in Southern Cal? That’s okay, check their website for a city near you.

- My buddy recently recommended a classic book that I have never read. What Kids Need To Succeed is, I believe, something everybody who cares about kids needs to read. How did I miss it all these years?

- After being mocked for my fantasy football draft which was admittedly a little sketchy, I have jumped out to an impressive 1-0 start to the season. Could this be the start of something big?

Over the years, I have made lots and lots of mistakes…some big and some little. What I’ve learned is that there are some mistakes that seem little but are actually a bigger deal than you may realize. Here are three….add your suggestions:

1) Failure To Communicate With Parents: This can take a variety of shapes…everything from failing to communicate a simple date change to failing to accurately communicate the cost or time-frame of an event to failing to communicate things about their child that they should be aware of. You win the hearts of parents through trust and good communication with them is one of the best ways to build or break that trust.

2) Failure To Empower Leaders: If you only see your adult volunteers as “worker bees” or “task masters” etc. you are missing a huge opportunity. When that is their role, your ministry is limited to your vision and your passion. Instead, encourage them to have vision and passion of their own, and empower them to expand your ministry.

3) Failure To Seek Help: Insecure leaders try to do everything on their own. Insecure leaders think they have the best ideas. Insecure leaders are afraid to admit they need help. You may be smart, but you aren’t as smart as you plus somebody else!

This is hilarious…and certainly a farse?

Lesson: We didn’t have a traditional lesson this weekend. Instead, we shot three, 7 minute “infomercials” showing why our ministry exists and highlighting the various opportunities we have for them to get involved this school year.

Lesson Length: All three videos added up to about 21 minutes

Music: Above average. Primarily because of the song choice and energy the band created.

Volunteer Involvement: High.  Saturday night was about average, but we had a ton of leaders on Sunday.

Fun Factor: Way above average. We had some funny “bits”, great games, the informercial videos etc.  It was a highly programed weekend that had a few flaws, but was super fun.

Attendance: Way, Way above average. In fact, it was our highest attendance in history.

Up Next: Next week we start a 6-week series on the Beatitudes called “Happy”. This series will coincide with a church-wide series called “Life’s Healing Choices”.