Weekend de-briefing

Well this was an event filled weekend.  Lot’s of fun, lot’s of laughs, and a stank-nasty gym floor. 

Some of the students from our youth ministry headed over to Yakima to our networks youth conference.  I always enjoy these conferences because it energizes the leaders that go, and encourages students. 

This year our guest speaker was Michael Hernandez.  He was funny in a Carlos Mencia kind of way.  And Portmann Spoke as well.  I gotta say, Jeffrey Portmann is the man, and i love to hear him speak, because I know that he is being 100% absolutely real.  His love for leaders and students pours out of every word he says.  It’s a great time.

It was on my heart all week to revisit why we do what we do at >>beyond>> and so we spend some time on sunday night talking about why we come each week, and what we hope to get out of it, and our core values of Faith, Mission and Reality.  And I’m praying that it sticks with our students.  So that when they ask me, where are all the students that they know the answer, they’re at your school.  I can’t just magically conjure up people to go to youth group.  But our students through relationships can build bridges on which the Holy Spirit can work in hearts. 

I have been thinking about a lot of different ideas for our ministry, and I am wondering which way to go.  So please pray for our students, pray for our church, and pray for me, that we can make wise decisions, that we can step out in faith and share the gospel and do whatever it takes to build the kingdom. 

Some blogs I have Been Reading

Hello Folks,

I I have found some really great blogs and I thought I would post them for you.  I have done this before but I think it’s fun to share.

First off though let me direct you to bloglines.  Bloglines is a service that subscribes to blogs and keeps you updated when new posts show up, so you don’t have to go hopping from your bookmarks blindly hoping that will find some fresh nugget of cyberspace wisdom.  It’s a really great service, check it out.

So here’s what I’ve been finding:

Rethinking Youth Ministry

Tall Skinny Kiwi

Perry Noble — Pastor of New Springs Church

Out of Ur — Leadership Journal Blog

The Anti-Blogger — Chris Mear’s Blog — really great stuff

Mark Batterson’s Blog — Pastor of National Community Church

Andrew Osenga — One of My Favorite Singer/Songwriters, if you haven’t heard of him you need to hear him.  He’s really great.

Church Marketing Sucks!

 Enjoy the Reading, and try bloglines. 

I didn’t think I would ever do this but,

I got wrapped up in a comment thread about Mark Driscoll’s statements at the Desiring God Conference.  I have held a pretty laid back commenting philosophy, really only commenting when I agree with the writer.  But I gues I have been a little antsy lately and when I read what some folks were saying I just couldn’t let it go I had to say something. 

It’s so much easier to just fire off a quick comment when you don’t know the person and you don’t really care how they feel.  I hope I didn’t offend anyone by my statements I was just trying to stick up for one of my preaching heroes.  I guess as being someone who has been scrutinized for using strong (maybe offensive) metaphors, that I tend to stand up for folks who do that.  I don’t go around trying to offend people, but if it’s on my heart to say it and I feel like it’s God urging me, then I will willingly offend people so that I don’t offend God. 

What seems to be happening is that people in bloggerdom are scrutinzing every little detail about what prominent people say and do, and while that’s great because it keeps people accountable, it’s also pretty terrible because some guy who live in his parents basement, has an overwhelming amount of influence that maybe he shouldn’t really possess.  It’s pretty dangerous.  And it’s destructive. 

So here I am today, writing before you all, that I will no longer comment in blatant disagreement with any individual, from here on out if I disagree, I will ignore.  I covenant with you that I will not use this blog to slam other people.  I will only use this blog to talk about my life, my struggles, and why the political left is leading america down the crap hole . . . wait no, that’s not right.   I hope to enter into conversation with people, but not fights, and if I offended anyone with my recent comments then I apologize. 

 I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Youth Conference

Well I haven’t really, really blogged in a while.  It’s actually been busy at Cutter & Buck, and I haven’t really had a lot to say. 

But I am excited for this weekend, we are going to our denominations annual Youth Conference this weekend.  Which is always a good time.  And our students always seem to have fun.  I have been praying a lot this week about our ministry and our students and our direction.  I really, really want to see heart change in our students, and I want to see people come to Christ. 

I met with a leader this morning and we were talking about how it’s hard to keep being motivated when it doesn’t seem like things are working.  And that’s so true.

A student said they didn’t want to come because there really wasn’t anyone their age there.  I wish I would have taken the opportunity to challenge them to fix that.  Because they know people their age that are not serving Christ and if they want our youth ministry to have people their own age than they need to bring their friends and then the problem would be solved. 

The Theme for Conference this year is Sacrifice and it’s a great theme.  Because what we are asking students to do when it comes to sharing their faith is sacrificing themselves, their popularity, their image, whatever, they are laying it down so that others might see the Gospel of Jesus in us. 

What if instead of living for our own popularity we lived for Christ’s Popularity, for his fame.  I think our youth ministries would really experience a tremendous transformation. 

Dang, that’s good

I came across a post from Mark Batterson, about something that Greg Groeschel, said at the Catalyst Conference.  I love the blogosphere.

I love this thought Craig shared about one of his ministry “failures.” His student group grew backwards and someone said to him: if you blame yourself for the decline you’ll be tempted to take credit for the incline !

Good Thoughts.

Some Days Are Better Than Others

This is probably my favorite song off of U2’s Zooropa, it’s going through my head today. 

Some days are dry, some days are leaky
Some days come clean, other days are sneaky
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor Some days youre quick, but most days youre speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others Some days…. it all adds up
And what you got is enough
Some days are better than others

Some days are slippy, other days sloppy
Some days you cant stand the sight of a puppy
Your skin is white but you think youre a brother
Some days are better than others

Some days you wake up with her complaining
Some sunny days you wish it was raining
Some days are sulky some days have a grin
Some days have bouncers and wont let you in

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

Some days are honest some days are not
Some days youre thankful for what youve got
Some days you wake up in the army
And some days… its the enemy

Some days you work, most days youre lazy
Some days you feel like a bit of a baby
Lookin for jesus and his mother
Some days are better than others

Some days… you feel ahead
Youre making sense of what she said
Some days are better than others

Some days you hear a voice
Taking you to another place
Some days are better than others

This is actually round 2 for this post.  The first one vainished.  Just going with the theme of the day I guess.

Last night was rough.  I keep telling myself numbers don’t really matter.  But the truth is numbers are people, and people need Jesus.  And the people that are there, don’t seem to engage with what’s going on.  Is something broken?  What is it?  What can we do to fix it?

I want so badly for our students to grab a hold of the gospel and get on mission with Jesus.  But it the same kids every week.  and we have the same issues everyweek, and it’s just this cul-de-sac, where we keep looping around and around, and don’t actually get anywhere.  What’s the deal. 

I woke up at 3am last night thinking about youth ministry.  That hasn’t happened in a long time.  I don’t like it.  I don’t like that anything can consume my thoughts so much that I can’t sleep.  I think because I pour so much of myself into the ministry and I’m not seeing the results that I am hoping for.  It’s concerning me.  I think the danger is that I might put my identity in the youth ministry.  SO if it succeed, I succeed if it fails than I’m a failure too.  And that is a dangerous place to live as a pastor.  Because people will let you down, and ministry isn’t ever going to be perfect. 

I’m rambling, and I’m tired.  I’ll stop.  I might write more later.