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.

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). 

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.

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).

Good Night

Tonight’s list of events and happenings reads like that of an old man.  After a lackadaisical soccer practice with the girls this afternoon, I ran into one of my students while still in my practice garbs only be informed that I looked like an old man in shorts.  I asked for a clarification and she promptly compared that seeing me in shorts was akin to seeing our senior pastor.  This was a first and yet another indicator that I am definitely not young and hip.

After such an unusual compliment if you will, Meredith and I took in a concert performed by the choir from Concordia University – Irvine.  The concert was excellent and they had a wonderful rendition of “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord”.  We were also able to see a couple friends that were traveling with the choir in one form or another.  Even more, a student that I’ve invested a lot of effort in wanted to sit with Meredith and I during the concert.  He’s the average teenage boy that’s a little much on the immature side and isn’t quite socially adjusted and it’s just terrific!  Reason number 523 why I love youth ministry.

Are You Smarter Than an 8th Grader?

A few minutes ago, I walked into the 8th grade algebra class at our school.  While they were waiting for the teacher to show up from her last class, I asked them to give me a math problem to solve.  They gave me the problem in a language that sounded eastern European and I didn’t even know where to begin.  7 years after my last college math class, it turns out I’m not smarter than an 8th grader.