Two important books on Student Ministry (book #2)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've recently read two incredible books on the subject of youth ministry. I blogged about this first book here. And now for the second book...

Book #2 - Getting Fired for The Glory of God, Mike Yaconelli

This book is not terribly different from Duffy's, at least in perspective. The motivation behind this book is to provide the reader with practical assistance in surviving "real-world" ministry. However, "Getting Fired for The Glory of God" is focused on caring for a minister's soul.

Often times, ministers feel the pressure to give and give and give of themselves until they are totally burnt out and are ready to walk away. Often times, ministers feel the pressure to build great programs that attract huge crowds instead of building great ministries that nurture true disciples. Often times, ministers feel the pressure to preach and teach political correctness instead of timeless Biblical Truth. Often times, ministers feel that their job, and even their career, is on the line when they don't "please people". Often times, ministers feel that their church board would rather them turn out nice kids instead of radical lovers of Christ. This book is written to address a minister when they are finding them self in the midst of those types of "times". And let me tell you, this is a great book...

Mike writes as fearlessly, profoundly, and mischievously in this book as he did in "Messy Spirituality". This book made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me mad. And it spoke to the Pastor in me with great clarity. And let me also say that this is NOT just a book for youth ministers. If you have any role in nurturing the spiritual growth of a group of people, whether large or small, volunteer or paid, you should read this book. It will definitely be worth your time.

Grace and Peace

Two important books on Student Ministry (book #1)

Over the past month, I've read two incredible books on the subject of Student Ministry. Both of the books sort fell into my lap, so to speak. They were both SO good that I knew that I needed to share about them on my blog so that my friends out in youth ministry land could read about them in the event that they hadn't already actually read them.

Book #1 - Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts, Duffy Robbins

This book is very much a survival guide of "how to's" when it comes to the reality of ministry behind the scenes. Some of the topics covered in this book are:

Gaining a vision for youth ministry
How to make decisions
Dealing with conflict
How to work with Parents
Motivating your team
Time management
Managing a budget
Evaluating your ministry

Duffy's words are time-tested and practical. This is easily the most helpful and ready-to-be-applied book that I have EVER read on Student Ministry. I used to tell people that if they could only choose one book on the subject of student ministry that they should read Doug Field's "Your First Two Year's in Youth Ministry"...now, I just hope that you will never be in a situation to have to choose just one book. Seriously, I wish I would have found Duffy's book back when I was first starting in ministry. It would have made things a lot easier.

As I read this book, I found myself thinking, "I need to re-read this book about once a year just to refresh myself on the basics." And, "This book is going to be required reading for every intern that I have from now until Jesus returns."

Grace and Peace

Another "Crazy Love" recommendation

Back in September, I posted about a book by Frances Chan entitled "Crazy Love". Well, this morning I stumbled across Perry Noble's latest blog about the same book. Perry is the lead pastor at a phenomenal church down south called New Spring. He is one of my heroes. Here is what Perry has to say about Cray Love.

Seriously, you should read this book.
Grace and Peace

Getting excited

I am getting really excited about the weekend. After attending the Musical rehearsal last night and watching the students improve right before my eyes, I'm sure that "Undergrounds" is going to be a great show! Come, and bring a friend. The performances are Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 9:30am.

Grace and Peace

A sneak peek

This is the video teaser for Pastor Dave's upcoming Christmas series. It will be shown at all 4 services this weekend. Tell your friends! It's gonna be a good time.



Grace and Peace

Insights from Duffy

This past weekend I had the great privilege of hearing Duffy Robbins speak twice at Leadapalooza and a third time on that same day at a Youth Pastor's appreciation dinner.

Duffy is one of the "wise men" of youth ministry. He teaches Youth Ministry at Eastern University. He's been a youth pastor for longer than I've been alive, and he's authored a number of outstanding books on the subject of youth ministry.

That being said, I could hardly take good notes at his seminars last Saturday because I was laughing so hard (Duffy could retire to comedy at any moment). Anyways, here is some of the good stuff that I took note of:

1) THE MORNING SICKNESS PRINCIPLE -
The process of developing new life does not always look like progress. Like a mother in the early stages of pregnancy deals with morning sickness, a lot of ministry looks just as "unpleasant" as it goes about nurturing new life. Embrace the ugly. Don't let it discourage you. The process which brings new life isn't as beautiful as the movies make it out to be. As it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual...just go with it.

2) OUR JOB IS TO MAKE DISCIPLES -
While many people in our churches believe that our role in youth ministry is to make kids domesticated, nice, responsible, mature, appropriate-at-all-times, well-rounded members of society, the Bible teaches us that our job is to make disciples...and, frankly, disciples aren't always nice or domesticated. Rather, disciples are radical lovers of Christ who follow Him regardless of the status quo. If the process of making disciples gets traded in for the process of making kids into nice people, then we have failed Jesus. If the process of making disciples into radical lovers of Jesus offends those who want a youth ministry that is full of "good kids", then...well...be offensive.

3) THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHILDLIKE FAITH AND CHILDISH FAITH
Childish faith says:
God should be working in my life to bring me happiness, to make my life easier, to bless me, to be my friend.
Childlike faith says:
I take God at his Word to become like Jesus. He is more concerned about my holiness than my happiness. He is in my life that I may worship him, that I may know that He is my Father.

4) FARMERS DON'T MAKE COWS...COWS MAKE COWS...
Farmers are responsible for taking care of their flocks, but only the livestock can reproduce itself. So many pastors burn out because they fool themselves into thinking that they can reach every kid in their community, but the fact of the matter is that only kids can truly reach other kids within their public school systems, etc. We as pastors should care for our flocks in such a way that our flocks are positioned to reproduce themselves. Equip your kids with the skills and enthusiasm to go and make baby Christians. Let the cows make cows.

5) ROOTS AND FRUITS -
Healthy trees are about growing roots and developing fruits. Healthy ministry does the same.

Grace and Peace

A November sprint

It's funny really...I spent most of October laid up from my accident, and now November feels like a constant stream of activity. I went from resting to sprinting. Just last week I preached a revival service at a friend's church, spoke at a seminar at Leadapalooza for our Conference Youth Ministry Team, led worship at that same Leadapalooza, and taught confirmation class as well as my A.B.S. group. It was a busy week.

It's beginning to make sense to me now why God pushed me to read through the Bible twice as I was healing back in October. To put it bluntly, those two turns through Scripture have given me a lot to share. Otherwise, I may have already been so creatively drained that I would probably be hiding from the world and trying to refresh. But, glory to God, I'm actually quite good right now. I got a good night's sleep last night, and I'm ready to face another week.

But this week isn't going to be any easier.

The Youth Musical is scheduled for this weekend. And that means a number of dress rehearsals throughout the week. I'm also preaching for the entire congregation this Sunday. In fact, it's shaping up to be one of those weeks that only Jesus can really walk me through. Maybe that's why I've titled this weekend's message "Just Jesus". At any rate, I'm happy to report that I'm alive and well. My family is well. Jesus is alive and well, and November, though insanely busy, is shaping up to be MUCH better than October.

If you have some time, would you please raise up a prayer for this weekend. The students have been working hard on this musical, and I am incredibly excited to see them perform. Pray for them as they go through their final days of rehearsing. And pray for me as well as I prepare to preach "Just Jesus". This is going to be a great week. To God be the glory!

Grace and Peace

Fire and Rain

I just came across this video on YouTube. A lot of people can play a guitar and sing, but performances like this are why James Taylor is a legend. Maybe someday I'll learn how to finger-pick like that.



Grace and Peace

Protests at Saddleback

I was once told that, "You'll know that you're preaching the Gospel when the Romans show up to shut you down." In which case, I found this blog interesting.

God bless the guys at Saddleback. They are a huge target.

Grace and Peace

My withdrawal symptoms

So as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I've recently cancelled my cable TV so that my family and I can be free from the temptation of giving our most precious moments together to a bunch of sitcoms...and I must say that our first weekend without cable was actually kind of difficult for me. Don't get me wrong. I loved the time that I spent with my family, but there were those hours that accumulated over the weekend after everyone else in my house had gone to bed when I usually turned on the TV. Dirty Jobs, The Office, Scrubs, LA Ink, were just some of my late night favorites. But now they're gone...

I found myself this weekend caught in those late night moments staring down at my Bible praying, "Okay, God. It's just me and Your Word here now. No one else can take my attention. Speak to me." And I wish that I could tell you that those were easy moments, but they weren't. In fact, I found myself feeling like I was dealing with the withdrawal symptoms that an addict would feel when separated from his "drug".

Eh...Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm addicted to cable television. Surprise, surprise.

So there I was sitting on my couch with my Bible in hand praying and reading.
Praying and reading...
Praying and reading...
Praying and reading...

I prayed and read every night until I was literally falling asleep, and then I went to bed. And though it was not an easy alternative to my usual late night television, I somehow sensed the approval of God flooding my soul as I spent large amounts of time with Him instead of Mike Row, Kat Von D, Dwight Shrute, or Dr. Cox. In fact, I can even tell you that I slept better this weekend than I have in a long, long time. My usual tossing-and-turning was gone. And, even if that was only for the weekend, that was greatly appreciated.

More and more, I'm beginning to feel like this is something that God has wanted for me for a long time. I can't even begin to count how many hours I've given to late night TV that I could have given to Him. I've run from the questions that have surfaced in my mind through this. Questions like:

-Where would I be in my walk with Jesus had I been doing this all along?
-What kind of worldly thinking has caused me hours and hours of restlessness?
-How could I be so foolish as to not spend the most impressionable moments of my day with Jesus?

I'm terrified of the answers to those questions. But the fact remains, I want to know Jesus. That may sound obligatory, but I don't care. I just really, really, REALLY want to know Jesus more and more. Over the past few days, I feel like God has been showing me that, while I have been progressing in my walk with Him, I've been doing it with shackles on, and maybe, just maybe, over the coming weeks and months I am going to become freed from those shackles for a few hours each night to progress and grow with Him at a much greater rate of speed. Now...I know that spiritual growth is not a race, and I know that these late night sessions with Jesus aren't going to get easier anytime soon. But, like Paul, I have become convinced of this one thing:

"...I have not yet already obtained all of this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on to the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Ph. 3:12-14

So I have an appointment with Jesus tonight...and tomorrow night...and the night after that. The appointment will begin somewhere around 11pm after Jean goes to bed. Whatever brings Him the most glory, is what I want to do. He is enough for me.

Grace and Peace

Some thoughts from The Deuce

Zaq Phillips (a.k.a. The Deuce) posted an interesting blog this morning. Check it out:

Obama is the President...Jesus is Lord
Current mood: calm

Before any body corrects me, I know Obama does not take office until the new year. With that out of the way let me continue.

I have been listening to my Family, friends and WORD FM explain how Obama is going to ruin are Christian society. How he is going to buck the way we live our moral lives with his liberal views. I had one friend tell me how he is going to start a civilian police force, like Hitlers S.S. Yet as I hear all this fear from the people I know the most and those at WORD FM, I cannot help but think, who is their Lord?

Do you really believe that Obama is such a threat to our way of life that God will not be able to deliver us? Need I remind you that our God is the same God who delivered our ancestors out of Egypt under the oppression of Pharaoh? Need I remind you that our God is the same God who gave the Midianites into the hands of Gideon? Need I remind you that our God is the same God who defeated Goliath with a scrawny sheep herder named David? Need I remind your our God is the same God who hung on a cross, died and rose three days later so we need not to live in fear but rather in Him!

We forget that Jesus is in control of our world not matter who is in the White House. For the next four years and forever lets not forgot that. Instead let us take this as a challenge to "Fight for the Heart of Our King," as a good friend of mine would put it. Obama obviously does not have the Christian ideals some of us would like him to have (as far as I am concerned neither did McCain). Yet I remember of a man who did not have the ideals of Christ when I was first introduced to him. In fact he would rip Christians from their homes and execute them on the spot but he went on to be a great church leader. If you are wondering who I am talking about open your Bible to the book of Acts and start reading.

So if you have not figured it out, I am not to worried about this past election. Call me a determinist but I believe Jesus in control.

Yay, Deuce!

Grace and Peace

October is over

Wow...that's all I can say about October. I'm not looking for anyone's pity-points here, but October was easily one of the worst months of my life. I spent 2 weeks of it on the couch recovering from a freak gator-over-a-cliff-Evil Knievel type of stunt. I spent the other 2 weeks of October trying to catch up on all of my work. I missed Powered Up a third time in October due to a Cold and fever. My wife exhausted herself carrying more than her share of the responsibilities of my household while I was layed up. I missed more than half of my sons deck hockey games to due my injuries and obligations, and I don't think that I spent more than 30 minutes alone with my daughter over the entire month.

That last sentence was pretty hard to type.

Needless to say, I'm glad that October is over. In fact, I just want to climb to the top of the highest mountain and shout to the world that October is over.

OCTOBER IS OVER!!!

November is here, and I'm looking forward to making the most of this month. Here's what I have in mind:

1) I'm cancelling my cable TV service.
After chatting with Jean about it, praying about it, and reflecting on my family's routine, I've concluded that my family gives the most precious opportunities that we have to "connect with one another" to a bunch of stupid sitcoms. It's actually grieved my heart to recognize that Zach and Cody, Hannah Montana, and J.D. from Scrubs receive more attention from my family than we receive from one another. That is going to change!

2) I'm going to date my daughter this month.
Everyone else has to wait in line behind her. Marley and I have plans.

3) I've started writing again.
You can laugh at me if you want to. But...years ago I felt the leading of the Lord to write a book, and, in fear, I put it on the back burner. Well, God has reminded me of His call for this book, and I have started writing it. I'll write for 45 minutes a day until its done. I don't care how long that takes. That's what I'm prepared to do. I'm excited. I'm scared. I'm inspired. And I'm ready to see what happens with this. And...maybe nothing will happen with it...yet maybe this book will bless someone...either way...I'm just going to be obedient and write it.

4) I'm reminding myself why I'm working in ministry.
I don't care who agrees or disagrees with my next statement, but the truth of the matter is that I believe that youth ministry is one of the toughest professions in the marketplace. Add to that the fact that we are about to begin the busiest season of the Church calendar, and you have a perfect recipe for discouragement. But I'm going to do everything that I can do to rise above that by regularly and creatively reminding myself of why I do what I do. And for those of you who want to know, here's my reason for working in ministry:

Jesus has given me a personal invitation to do it.

It's not a requirement. It's an invitation to join Him in the work of loving the unlovely, helping the needy, and sharing the Good News of salvation in His blood. I could do any one of several other things: play music, sales, etc. But I choose to do this because He has given me an invitation. And frankly, I LOVE WHAT I DO! I get to work side by side with some of the best in the Kingdom here at Charter Oak Church, and it's all because of an undeserved, yet divine invitation.

If you have a few moments to pray for me, I'd appreciate it. I'm serious about everything I have shared with you in this post, and I need your support and encouragement as I focus on Christ and press on to be the man that God created me to be.

Grace and Peace