by David Hanson | Dec 10, 2013 | The Youth Ministry Blog
Great post by my good friend Jules Weir at RebelBlog.org
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you”
–Ephesians 5:14
Eight years ago I stepped on Texas soil for the first time in my life. I flew to San Antonio, Texas with a group from my church and was promptly met with 100 degree weather, country music, cowboy hats, Texas BBQ on the Riverwalk, and the most mesmerizing sunset I had ever seen. One visit and I was smitten. When I began to apply to colleges the following year I couldn’t imagine a better place to begin my adult life and journey of self discovery than the Lone Star State. So I packed up my bags with everything I could squeeze in them and moved 2,000 miles from Brattleboro, Vermont to Waco, Texas to attend Baylor University.
The Lord has given me a spirit of adventure and an insatiable love for new experiences, new people, and new places. This passion has led me to travel abroad to Costa Rica, study abroad in Europe, and take frequent and spontaneous road trips all over the United States with whoever I can coax to come along. While I typically consider myself a creature of habit and a lover of tradition, I love exploring the new and the unknown. Even so, when I moved to Texas seven years ago I had no grid for the culture shock I would face. I left my hometown in Vermont convinced that it was slow and…maybe a little boring? and that surely more exciting things lie ahead for my future – Texas was the answer. And it was for a while. But now I have lived here for seven years and that restless itch has returned to go and see and absorb and be transformed by a new place. The temptation before me is to let the new to become the old; and the old become mundane. This is because it is hard for me to be content in the now. It is hard to be fully engaged in the present moment. And it is hard to ever feel like you are completely at home when your soul is longing for an eternal other.
But here is the real danger. In the same way that I can easily become accustomed to and bored with my physical environment, I can just as easily become complacent or bored in my relationship with the Lord. A life lived in the Spirit is supposed to be one of endless pursuit, adventure, opportunity, and transformation as we are changed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). The Lord is an everlasting spring of refreshment and joy. So why do I so easily find myself in the wading pool, knowing that there are greater depths but abiding in the shallow end?
God has called us to be His children. He has called us to know Him and to abide in Him. As St. Augustine says, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” God has created us to live in relationship with Him, not to simply know about Him but to know Him. What this shift looks like is not necessarily more information but more experience. We need to see God as He is and for who He is in order to be broken by our sin, healed by His forgiveness, and sealed by His love. The call to unbelievers is that you would be made aware of the need within your own heart; that you would begin to desire to know the One who is the way and the truth and the life, and that you would place your trust in Him. Similarly, for others who may have been walking with the Lord for many years, the call on your life is that you would be reawakened to the power of the gospel. That you would beg God to reveal Himself to you in a fresh new way and that He would reignite passion within you for Himself.
READ THE REST HERE
by David Hanson | Dec 9, 2013 | The Youth Ministry Blog
If you’re not EXCITED, why should students be?
As Student Pastors, we have something to be EXCITED about…and that is putting it lightly!
Our God is not DEAD but ALIVE!!
God has RESCUED us from HELL!!
Jesus has paid the debt for our SIN!!
The Enemy has been DEFEATED!!
We have a GOD that is always WITH us!!
If that’s not enough to get you EXCITED and ESCTAITIC, I don’t know what to do. The students we serve and parents we serve should see that EXCITEMENT each week.
We should be way more passionate about our GOD than our SPORTS TEAM!
Your SPORTS TEAM might give you SATISFACTION for a WEEKEND but GOD gives us SATISFACTION for a LIFETIME!
This should be evident in our social media and how we WORSHIP. This should be evident in how we preach. We are preaching the GREATEST NEWS that has changed us so we should preach with EXCITEMENT. We know the BIBLE ain’t boring!
Your students can tell if you are excited about Jesus or not!
They can tell by watching you if JESUS really is a BIG DEAL or not.
They can tell by watching you if JESUS really is the RISEN KING to you!
Encourage your leaders to be passionate about Gods Word and coming to church. If the students see that your leaders have excitement just like you do imagine how excited the students would be!
Be reminded today that you have been SET FREE! You aren’t who you use to be! Be EXCITED and keep serving JESUS!
Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Michael Hux is the Student Pastor of Team Church in Matthews, NC.
Connect with Michael on Twitter or Instagram: @_Hux
by David Hanson | Dec 6, 2013 | The Youth Ministry Blog
The other day Bekah called me while I was at work. She needed me to come home. Not that it had been a particularly rough day, or that she was feeling sick. She just needed me home.
I had a million things to do.
I’ve never been able to look at my desk/computer/to do list at the end of the day and say “Well, that about wraps it up. I don’t have anymore work to do!”
It’s always some form of “Well, this will have to be where I stop today. I’ll pick it back up tomorrow.”
When Bekah called I had more than one thing I was working on finishing from the day before. I was getting swamped and a big retreat was coming up in the next few weeks.
But I went home anyways.
Did it mean I had a lot of catching up to do the next day?
Yup.
Did it mean that I would be staying up late after everyone had gone to bed to try to work some after hours?
Yes sir.
Did it mean that I would be worrying if I was actually going to make the deadlines I needed to?
You bet.
I showed one of her texts to a friend, the one that came before the call, the one that said “Please come home. I just want you home.” What got me out of my office chair and into my truck were his words: “You don’t know how lucky you are man. I’m not getting those kinds of texts.”
My keys were in my hand and I was out the door.
To all youth pastors and other husbands out there:
Make your wife your number one priority. You’ll always have more work. You’ll always have another deadline. You’ll always need to get just one more thing done.
But you’ll never get another chance at making your wife feel loved and special TODAY.
Grab the keys.
Head on home.
Ronald is a follower of Jesus who’s married to Bekah, father to two beautiful girls and a chronic writer. He blogs at ronaldlong.org and tweets from @ronald_long. When’s he has free time, he plays with his kids, goes for a run, or plays video games. If you’re interested in some of his bible study material, check out
128ministries.org.
by David Hanson | Dec 5, 2013 | The Youth Ministry Blog
I grew up in Southern California where, for all practical purposes, there are no seasons. The weather doesn’t change much. Sunny and 75 most of the time. When I moved to Texas I anticipated that I would get to experience seasons like fall and winter. The difference is that the weather changes wildly here. It’s unpredictable. Today it’s 75 and sunny. By Friday the high is supposed to be 33. When the seasons are unpredictable, it’s hard to get your bearings. Just as you’re about to get out your winter gear, it’s shorts weather again.
It’s the same way in ministry. We need to understand that we have seasons in youth ministry. The more we understand our seasons, the better we can see the big picture.
God sets this precedent. He rested on the seventh day. He created a world where there are times of planting and times of harvest. He commanded his people to celebrate in certain seasons. He even commanded the Israelites to rest the land for a full one year out of seven.
Our ministry slows down during three key times (Christmas, May and August). Our ministry ramps up during the summer, spring and fall. Different seasons fulfill different purposes in our ministry. If we went full speed all year long we would wear ourselves and our students out.
There is a method to our madness. You need to think about your ministry seasonally because of what it can bring to your ministry.
Seasonal youth ministry gives rest to leadership. Your leaders spend a good portion of the year pouring into students. They need times where they can take a break and recharge. If you go full speed all year long, you will wear them out. Eventually they won’t want to come back. Give them rest and they will have longevity.
Seasonal youth ministry gives room for planning. If you are busy all year long, you won’t have time to adequately plan for the future. I’m not just talking calendars. You need to create space for creativity, to pray for discernment, and to think intentionally about what you will be teaching.
Seasonal youth ministry blesses families. We slow down in December because of all the Christmas parties, travel and shopping. We slow down in May because many families are pushing hard through finals and graduations. We slow down after summer because families are getting ready for the school year. Gearing up in the summer helps our families that have middle schoolers with lots of time on their hands. Our ability to plan seasonally will help families during their seasons.
The key is this: slowing down actually makes our busy times more effective.
If you aren’t thinking seasonally in your ministry. You’ll probably see less fruit and will have a higher chance of burn out. Every ministry is different, your seasons may not look like mine, but you need to embrace the seasons of your ministry.
Kevin Libick is a Middle School Pastor living in Fort Worth, TX with his wife Kara and her two cats. He is a novice banjo picker and expert Hawaiian food eater. Kevin loves to connect with other youth workers and equip them to live out their calling in God’s Kingdom. Connect with Kevin on Twitter: @kevinlibick
by David Hanson | Dec 4, 2013 | The Youth Ministry Blog
My pastor slipped by my office a few weeks ago and handed me an article. It was about a pastor who shared his morning routine. All I remember was he said he wakes up at 3am Sunday-Thursday.
That’s when I almost checked out.
He was challenged several years ago about giving God his mornings. Yes. God deserves every area of our life. But I often give excuses rather than make changes to have solid time with my Lord. This pastor spends time in the word, prayer, study, and exercise in the morning. That’s crazy! But I am learning to enjoy the quiet mornings before busy starts. I rarely make time after I get to the office. That’s another blog post.
I have had to make adjustments. I have a 45 minute drive to the office and need to have solid time before I leave. If I want to run, I do it after prayer and Bible study. I want to engage my family in the evenings when I get home.
I have not done this every morning but I am striving to be consistent. I want to be fueled and focused as I start the day.
How do you manage your mornings?
What works best for you?
Matt Sawyer is the student pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Dothan, AL. (www.sbcdothan.org) He loves being a husband and father of two girls. You can read more of Matt’s stuff at www.matthewls.com. We are excited to share his wisdom on The Youth Ministry Blog!
