1 Week Down, 3 To Go…

In youth ministry, every trip has a certain appeal.  The Canada mission trip next week is going to be quite strenuous and equally rewarding.  NYG is exhausting and ridiculously expensive.  All overnighters are straight from hell.  And Junior High Camp in Colorado is FUN!!!

It’s bittersweet to be sitting on the floor in our living room (somewhat ridiculous in itself that I still don’t always use the furniture), but I’m not yet ready to get camp out of my system…hence waking up at my conditioned 6:00am to get a warm shower turned into blogging as the sun pours through the blinds.  Today, I miss Colorado.  I don’t walk out to a brisk sunrise over the evergreen and red rock covered mountains.  Instead, I’ve got a window with a bush and an oak tree.

The scenery is spectacular at the Circle K Ranch outside of Delores, Colorado where we have held our camp for the past 30 years.  In this serene valley which has non cellular reception, it’s easy to be aware of the God of the universe.  Like every year, there are certain themes that protrude and happenings that occur to make each year memorable.  Here’s the rundown:

• “I wanna go home…I don’t wanna leave” syndrome – Homesickness seemed to be rampant among our incoming 7th grade girls through Tuesday.  They all wanted to go home and pulled a 180 by Thursday morning.  I learned a lot about their families this week.
• Boundaries honored – This group of 19 was the most enjoyable group I have ever taken anywhere.  They respected the boundaries set and backed off when they crossed. 
• Meredith the youth counselor - Against her strongest efforts, Meredith has become a youth leader.  The girls love her and always look to her for help, advice, and encouragement.  She is their number one!
• “We want sleep”- Our kids didn’t just go to bed on time, they were begging to go to bed 30 minutes before lights out.  It gets even stranger when you consider they every bunkhouse in the entire camp followed suit.  Weird, huh?
• Medics and Biffers - Any game that allows counselors to hit kids withsocks filled with flour is awesome!  It feels like a ridiculous “This is Sportscenter” commercial.  “Get up kid…you’re mom signed the waiver!”
• God is always present - Kids praying, forgiving one another, and showing the grace of Christ is one of the greatest sights in all the world.  Just speechless!
• Breakouts are good – Meredith did a breakout about her battles with anorexia and I spoke about pornography.  Combined with 8 others, breakout sessions were definitely a high point of learning for students as we discussed some very relevant and somewhat uncomfortable topics.
• Counselors always have the most fun! – One of the reason I love this camp is so enjoyable is that I get to work alongside my friends for a week doing what we all love.  Ministry is even better when done alongside friends.

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture

Back in the Fall I attended the National Youth Worker’s Convention hosted by Youth Specialties in San Diego.  Great event as always with multitudes of worship, resources, and speakers.  Every year before I leave I buy 5 or 6 cds from sessions that I did not have the chance to attend for one reason or another.  Guided by the recommendation of a friend, I grabbed a presentation by Shane Hipps on the power of electronic culture.  I was leery at first (because haven’t we heard the anti-media message from Christians before), but eventually submitted to peer pressure and proceeded towards the checkout.

I listened to it on the short 2 and half hour drive home from San Diego and then again the following week in the office.  I was ecstatic to find a different message relating to media that made incredible sense. 

After another 3 or 4 months, I broke down and bought the book.  17 days later, the book was finished.   Now 2 months upon completion, I am finally writing a review.  Proceed if you dare.

Shane Hipps is a pastor in Phoenix.  He looks like a pastor, entitles books like a pastor, and probably even smells like a pastor (I have no evidence or source for the last statement).  The only problem here is that he doesn’t write or speak like a pastor.  He sounds like an expert on media theory and doesn’t build his premises with theology as the sole foundation.  This all makes sense when you learn that before communicating the gospel his main goal in life was communicating the awesomeness of Porsche’s cars as strategic planner for an advertising firm.

In his attempt to explain the powers that media possesses, he has a few simple statements that seem to guide us through this maze of information.  Concepts like “the message is the medium” and “instead of asking ‘what does this do?’ we would be better served to ask ‘what does this mean?’” are revisited often.  He also frequently references Marshall McLuhan and relies heavily upon his set of questions dubbed the Laws of Media:

• What does the medium extend?
• What does the medium make obsolete?
• What does the medium reverse into?
• What does the medium retrieve?

He does a terrific job explaining the complexities of media and communication theories.  One section I found particularly interesting was his comparing and contrasting of the communication forms of the printed word and images and their connection to shift from post-modernity into this realm in which we are going.  I really appreciated the time he took to explain the impact of different media types on culture and the church.  For me, it really helps me gain a better understanding of the big picture.  (I can’t stand it when authors assert a point and give no reason assuming you know it…if I knew it, I would NOT be reading what you wrote!)

Another area that piqued my interest is where he writes about not being mastered by mediums of media.  In our media saturated lives sometimes we lose perspective of what we are actually doing and become enslaved to various mediums in our behaviors without giving much thought as to what simple task is being accomplished by the said medium.  Hipps suggests that our understanding of the impacts of the media we use is vital to our relationship with Christ as our focus remains fixed on the cross and not on specific mediums (ie. projection screen, sound systems, videos, bulletins, etc.)

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the impacts of media both subconsciously and the greater cultural climate.  It’s well-written and relatively easy to follow considering the content.  For me this book really helped me to identify the implications of different media forms that are present in my life.  Good read.  Definitely worth 17 days of your reading time.

E-Dibs

If stubbornness was a spiritual gift, you could consider me Moses.  Ask anyone that has spent more than a few days around me and this trait becomes glaringly obvious.  As habit would have it, my stubbornness bordering on pride was manifested once again a few months ago when one of my pastors introduced E-Dibs video Bible study to the congregation.  I subscribed and deleted the emails for the first 4 months (that’s embarrassing to write).

Come this morning, I opened the email for the first time and clicked on the link for the video.  Each day there is a video devotion that lasts for 8-10 minutes.  It is led by Pastor Paul, an LCMS ordained pastor in southwest Missouri.  I really enjoyed the my first use of the service and will hopefully start to form a new habit over the next 28 days.  As far as Christian resources go, this one is a trifecta: excellent doctrine, gets people in the word, and aesthetically appealing.  Could this be the beginning of a revolution in LCMS resources?  I’m for it!

TMZ Churchworkers

Working in the church adds new oddities to your life.

Today the church is blessed with an abundance of written and electonic communication (some of which is quite useful).  There are books widely available to the public on every conceivable topic.  Websites and blogs dedicated to the betterment of the Body of Christ.  And of course, conferences for everything!  Personally, I can’t keep up with everything and don’t have the time or desire to dedicate.

Have you ever been at a ministry conference and been talking to a colleague that can’t answer simple questions about their own ministry beyond their running numbers, but can tell you everything about Saddleback, Willow Creek, Northpointe, Lakewood, Mars Hill, (insert mega-church of choice here), etc?  How often does your discussion center around what other churches are doing and becoming without taking a serious and honest look at your our church?  Both of these situations have happened to me and both lead me to cringe.

The connectivity and networking available to us today has some great benefits and allows us endless amounts of information and data at our disposal.  That is geat!  But it also gives us access to information that breeds envy, slander, jealousy, and contempt.  Who of us hasn’t been jealous that someone else’s group is growing while our group holds in stagnation?  Who hasn’t frequented the website of another youth ministry just to see what they are doing?  Have you ever been pissed off at God because the place you’re at and the people that surround you aren’t focused on Christ as you desire?  Or designated some churches as the best places to be while ignoring the call God has given you to serve at the place you are right now?  What about envying a younger worker because they get to work with staff that you like better than the one you work with everyday?  Ever been more interested in another church’s ministries than your own?

I know I could answer “yes” to every one of those question at some point in my ministry career.  It pathetically sinful and embarassing.  I have to continually remind myself that God has called me here to preach his “good news” to these people at this place at this time.

I’m reminded of this when I look at the epistles that Paul wrote to the different churches.  Each of the letters while proclaiming the basic truths of scripture and Christ, also speaks to the issues of each congregation.  It reminds me of how there is a struggle with sin everywhere.  It reminds me that we are all united in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It also brings my focus back to Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s work in the people surrounding me right now and reminds me that my focus needs to be in line with my location.

It’s so easy to be more interested in the ministries of other churchworkers.  I think this is true because it allows me the ability to avoid shining the light on myself and exposing the brokenness that is in my midst and my own ministry.  It encourages me to be lazy and ignore the call to serve.

In Colossians, Paul instructs the people to set their eyes on higher things.  To be united in the power of the gospel and focused on the unique call we have received to serve.  May we continue to have more fervor for our calling to ministry rather than the ministry of others as sin continues to manifest itself in all our advances in communications and technologies.

 

Senior Anointing

This year, we have 6 seniors graduating that I know personally (along with another half-dozen on the list that I’ve never met).  Every May, we have a time of prayer know as Senior Anointing.  This is one of my favorite events of the year because it brings parents, siblings, and students together in prayer.  It’s indescribable to hear the prayers of a parents intermittent with tears bestowed upon a child who is no longer a child.

My initial count of 4 seniors in attendance quickly dwindled in half hours before as 2 students couldn’t “work it in” to their schedule.  My anxiety grew as failure seemed imminent.  The only place 2 for 6 seems to be worthy is a baseball diamond.  But finally the time came.  The 2 seniors showed up promptly and were ready for this event they had heard me rave about for weeks.

After a few minutes of conversation and many quick glances toward the doors in hope of more people, they opened.  One of the adult Bible studies that met on Sunday evening decided to bring their group.  After a few more moments, the narthex was filled with 20 adults and 2 graduating seniors.  At 7 minutes past 7:00, it was time to get started.

Everyone filed through the doors and sat in the front rows of our darkened sancutary lit only be the rays of the remnant sun pertruding the stained glass (yes, 2 very un-Lutheran things at once).  After a few minutes of welcoming everyone and explaining exactly what we were doing, we began with some slides with various passages paired to ambient music (see Explosions In The Sky).

Next came the prayer.  This is the part of this event that I have no control over (something I prefer to avoid).  When it comes to prayer, all the power comes from the Holy Spirit giving people the words to speak.  We started with our first senior and surrounded her placing our hands on her.  Twenty-five minutes later, “Amen” was proclaimed.  We rose and moved over to our next senior and placed our hands on him and began with “Father…”.  Another thirty minutes went by before we rose.  Then as a group, we circled up and began to pray for all of the seniors who were not present.  Twenty minutes passed before hands released and eyes opened.

This was an unforgettable evening for everyone.  The seniors were overwhelmed with the love, care, and support that this group of redeemed sinners had for them.  The group, which was comprised of parents, teachers, and many people who had no relationship to the graduating seniors other than they love Jesus, was also overcome with the power of the Holy Spirit to bind people together in the name of Jesus Christ.  Besides the prayers that lasted for over an hour, there was a community formed and revived between the people present.  Tears, memories, and emotions filled the words of all who spoke and it was good.  God was there (and we knew it). 

Need For Speed

My name isn’t Maverick or Goose and I don’t live to fly an F-14 (although I might have to reconsider if the F-22 Raptor is involved).  But the three of us do have something in common with our ”I feel the need…the need for speed!” attitudes.  In traditional 80’s cinema fashion, memorable lines are often accompanied by singing and exclamation marks, but my declaration is more of an unspoken understanding that guides my heart and mind.

My day is all about speed.  I make it from the bed out the door in less than 20 minutes.  I constantly change lanes like a lunatic on my 5 mile drive of city streets so I don’t have to be behind another car.  Then at the light, I watch the intersecting traffic’s light to time my acceleration off the line flawlessly.  When we travel on trips, I try to make better time than my last attempt.  Even more, I get irritated if we have to stop more than once every 3 hours.  This most certainly true…my wife will emphatically attest to everything.

Then when I get to work I’m immediately frustrated because I have a Devil (ugh…a Dell) sitting on my desk that is dramatically slower than my expectations.  While waiting for my program du jour to open I tap my feet unnervingly, sigh, crack my fingers, restrain from cursing, and talk to colleagues about gathering a coup against computer system of the office.  Only a few more months till (independence day) our current contract with our IT guy expires.  This is definitely the worst part of my work day.  I can’t wait till the day it is replaced.  Then I will promptly take it to the field out back and destroy it ala Office Space.  (I’d link it, but refuse to put NSFW links on here)

Finally, at the end of the work day I’m back on the road again.  This is the wrong time for Caddy’s and Lincoln’s to pull in front of me.  As I come to an abrupt deceleration to 10 mph, I grip the wheel, check the lane next to me to see if I can get in, and utter a few words that stay between me and my Accord.

By the time I get home I’m tired, stressed, and impatient…everything the greatest wife in the world (Meredith) desires in her husband when he’s at his finest.  In all of this, this one is the one that bothers me the most as it exposes my failure at heeding to the calling of being a husband to my wife.

Every few months, I have the opportunity to go camping with students or friends and get away from the city and the office.  I love this time because the pace slows to normal.  My mind is in step with my body and in turn in step with my Father.  But it’s not long before the acceleration continues down the autobaun that seems to be my life.

Numerical Satisfaction

One of the mantras of youth ministry is to avoid the numbers game.  I generally do a good job of placing my focus on the spiritual growth of students, but it’s hard to ignore such quantitative data.  While numbers aren’t the end all and be all, they many times are quite indicative of the truth.  My ignorance of numbers and statistics are much more intense when I know my groups aren’t growing (numerically, emotionally, and spiritually) as quickly or deeply as I would hope.

Honestly, the numbers game has been a brutal one for me in my first couple years.  If numbers were everything, I would be a miserable failure.  After surviving quite a few challenges from some very opinionated parents and students, I’m in a good place.  Not only have I adapted to the culture of the community I dwell, but they have adapted to my values, standards, and dreams for youth ministry.

In light of churches’ obsession with numbers, it seems the numbers are starting to follow my vision for youth ministry.

• Last year we took 11 students to our junior high summer camp.  This year we have 18 registered.  A 64% increase.
• Junior High Nite (JHN) is steady at 25-30 7th and 8th graders.  Next year, we are planning for 35-40 with larger class sizes in our school.  A 40% increase.
• Our Senior High group consists of 8 freshmen and sophomores.  Next year we will have 15-20.  Over a 100% increase.

These numbers aren’t everything and they certainly won’t be the force behind the continued growth of our youth ministry, but they are encouraging.  In the lonely world of youth ministry, such encouragement and hope is all we need to keep on going.  And that’s where I find myself today…satisfied with the hope for next year and beyond.

Anger Issues

Anger expressed through frustration seems to be a common theme in my life at this time of year.  As school projects and test take center stage, youth ministry seems to go into the orchestra pit of priorities for students and parents.  Attendance wanes and nobody seems to care nearly as much about junior high summer camp as I do.  Stage right of the lack of participation, I begin looking to next school year and dread the job of replacing some excellent adult leaders who are stepping down for a variety of reasons.  And stage left, I’m reaching a point of exhaustion and fatigue after another very busy spring semester.

Yesterday I was feeling all of that anger.  At 1:21pm, I left the office to go read at a local coffee shop.

I started paging through the prophets and before I knew it, I was at Jonah (the one book I wanted to avoid).  One of the downfalls of being a theology buff is that I know the places to avoid in the Bible as well as where to look concerning my current situation.  I sank because I knew the truth of God’s Word was staring straight at me.  All I could do was submit.

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry.  He prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home?  That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish.  I knew that you are a gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”  – Jonah 4:1-2

There was no escaping the truth that these words spoke about the condition of my heart.  I can certainly identify with Jonah and the brother of the “Prodigal Son” (who was enraged with the same anger).  It would be just fine with me if we stopped with those two verses and my complaints were heard, but unfortunately that’s not where this ends.

But the Lord replied, “Have you any right to be angry?”  – Jonah 4:4

This is a dangerous question to ask an angry man, because nothing will piss him off more than having his expressions examined.  I often believe that my anger is justified for the simple matter that I feel it.  The fact that I’ve been hurt by someone or something.  There may be some more complex explanations of this, but in the end it comes back to the narcissism that I too often allow to guide me.

There is a moment at the end of John when Peter is reinstated.  You know the one where Jesus tells him “Feed my lambs” and explains how his life is going to play out (tangent alert!  how terrifying would it be to have Jesus telling you how your life is going to go in the future?  tangent complete).  As Jesus shares this with him, he notices John (the disciple who Jesus loved) out of the corner of his eye and asks Jesus about his future.

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?  You must follow me.”  – John 21:22

When I find myself angry, I need to follow Jesus’ advice and focus on myself before others when searching for the cause.  If my anger is justified because I feel it, I need to ask more questions of myself, not others.

Unforgettable Youth Ministry Moments

I left the office early yesterday afternoon after our weekly staff meeting to head home for some rest as I had woken up at 1:37am the previous night with an unquenchable sore throat and felt exhausted when David Crowder’s “Remedy” (the song set to my alarm on my phone) started playing at 7:00am.  After 6 hours in the office lacking productivity, I realized I could accomplish even more if I was at home in the recliner passing out intermittently during the early Sportscenter (du-nuh-nuh, du-nuh-nuh).  Following my inclinations I found myself in my living room drowsy and hopped up on Clariton and nasal spray.

During one of my intermittent dozes as noted previously, my phone started vibrating and singing Linkin Park’s “Shadow of the Day” (BTW, my affinity for this song makes me feel like the prime target of those cheesy mix stations playing the best of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s that I loathed in my earlier years).  It was 4:33pm and one of my youth leaders asked how I was feeling.  I told her I’d experienced better shades of livelihood and asked the question “What’s up?”.  She preceded to share with me that one of our students had been in a car accident that look quite terrible after school.  I thanked her for thinking of me, kissed my wife, and headed to the hospital.

The drive was only about 5 minutes and filled more intensely with prayer than erstwhile logged.  Terrifying thoughts ran through my mind as I thought of the possibilities of how this accident had impacted this student.  Were they seriously injured?  Shaken up?  Bruised?  Or God forbid dead?  It was too much to bear as this student is one that I’m very close with and spent countless hours listening, talking, praying, encouraging, mentoring, and all the other things youth ministers do.  God has worked so miraculously in this student’s life so far, it wouldn’t make sense for anything so detrimental to find its way into their life.

I arrived in the waiting room of the emergency room to a group of 6 other students and parents where the mood was quite somber.  After exchanging hugs and handshakes, I asked the obvious question which was most difficult to say.  I asked in a soft murmured voice to one of my guys, “How is she?”  He responded “They are both okay and in good condition.”  I was shocked to learn that there were 2 other people in the car, one a friend, one her younger sister.  I was so thankful and grateful for their safety and couldn’t wait to see them.

After a few minutes, I went back to see the girls.  I saw the sister first and it was great to see a smile on their face.  After the first exchanges of asking about their condition, she asked about my day.  I was so relieved to see there were no injuries beyond the a few minor scrapes and bruises.  I prayed with her, gave a hug, and told her “I love you”.

After 10 minutes with the sister, I went to see the girl I initially heard was in the accident.  I was greeted with a great familiar smile and a hug.  She said she felt fine, but was really shaken up mentally and emotionally.  One of the things I love about this girl is how she thinks of others before herself.  Here she was in a hospital bed telling me that when it happened all she could do was pray for her sister and her friend in the truck next to her.  Hearing this from a relatively new driver makes me love what I do.  We talked, prayed, and shed some tears over the next 15 minutes before I left her to the care of the nurses and doctors.

I love these 2 girls deeply and would do anything for them at a moment’s notice.  I love their family and am so grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to be a part of his plan in their lives.  What is interesting about this whole train of events is that I felt fine from the moment I left the house to moment I returned.  While these girls are amazing and I care for them dearly, he truth is that I have about 50 junior and senior high students I would do the same for in a heartbeat.

After a few hours at the ER, I decided that it would be best for me to go home as it was certain they would be released that evening.  I got a couple burritos from a local taco shop and returned to my sickness.  This morning I feel 110% better (ala Ferris Bueller) after 10 hours of sleep on the couch of all places (Meredith doesn’t want my sickness).

Can You Do Nothing for 3 Minutes?