I’m on my honeymoon…. July 1, 2009

I’m on my honeymoon. I’ll be back blogging on Monday, July 6th. Love you all.

I’m getting married today! June 27, 2009

2 become 1

10 questions to ask yourself (youth pastor edition) June 25, 2009

1. what am I doing that is distracting students from Jesus instead of pointing them towards him?
2. am I setting up students to carry their faith beyond high school?
3. how can I allocate my budget to better reflect my mission?
4. is my faith evident outside of lessons and programs?
5. in what ways am I perpetuating a weak/lame version of christianity and church life?
6. am I really called to this?
7. am I running to God to get filled up or to something else?
8. do I have too much planned?
9. do I have too little planned?
10. am I talking ABOUT God more than I’m taking WITH God?

success in youth ministry June 24, 2009

Last week I sat down with some of my volunteers at Starbucks to chat. I’d been serving at Sawmill Covenant Church for almost a year.

I asked them this question: “As we look back at the first year, where have we seen God show up?”

For the next hour, we told stories. Stories of meeting new students. Stories of working with pain. Stories of trying really hard to make small groups work and failing. Lots of stories.

The one thing in common with all those stories. They didn’t involve me teaching. They didn’t involve a game. Almost every single story of God’s hand moving in our ministry was tied directly to a time where we opted for less structure over more.

My goal for the second year: carve out more time to listen to God. I want to carve out more space on Sunday nights for students to meet with God. I want to carve out more time in our volunteer meetings to pray. I want to carve out more time in my own life to slow down, shut up, and listen to God.

pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you June 23, 2009

John Wesley famously said, “Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.”

I would like to rebuttle.

What if I worked like it depended on God?

***I know that some people use excuses like this to opt of sacricifcing and serving and giving. I think God has equipped us and desires for us to “work.”

church revolves around me June 22, 2009

Sometimes I think we miss the point. I think we show up to church because we like it. I think we get together in a building we like to sing songs we like and listen to a sermon we like.

We act like church revolves around us. I act like church revolves around me

Church doesn’t.

It revolves around God.

Act like it.

best things about my dad June 21, 2009

Top 5 things about my dad:

1. he taught me how to play sports
2. he taught me how to work
3. he taught me how to love one woman for a long time
4. he taught me how to put others first
5. he taught me how to radically change one’s life to follow God’s calling

I’ve had tons of amazing men and women shape my life. But after nearly 24 years of life, the person I most resemble on this earth is my father. (and luckily for me, i’m pretty proud of that).

Thanks pops.

I love y’all (or how I feel when I’m at my best) June 19, 2009

You’re messed up. I get it. Your parents were quircky and weird. In the first 14 years of your life, you thought they were normal. Then you started understanding that the way they dressed, ate, talked, and thought were goofy. In fact, to be honest, you’re goofy too.

You dress differently than I would if I were you. Your priorities are different than mine. Sometimes you worry about things that I don’t even care about. You keep making big deals about stuff that is trivial.

In fact, sometimes it’s hard to connect with you. Sometimes I just think to myself, “man, (insert your name here), is just crazy. i don’t get them.” Don’t worry, i never say these things out loud (to you).

But the truth is … I love you.

I think you’re awesome. I think you’re cooler than I am. I wish I was half as cool as you. I wish I cared more about the things you care about. Sure, we might be different and sometimes it may become hard for you and I to remember that we do enjoy each other. In fact, it’s hard to remember that we’re both human; that we’re more similar than different.

But we are. We’re cut from the same cloth. We’re made from the same materials. We’re both made in the same image. Actually, it takes a bunch of different kinds of us to represent that image very well. We’re brothers. We’re sisters.

I love you. I care about you. I want you to do well. I want you to live like you were created to live.

And if it bugs me sometimes, that’s my problem. Don’t worry about it.

They never change because it’s easy June 16, 2009

I have a personal trainer. He puts me through grueling workouts and – by the end – I pretty much dispise him. He makes me do more when I think I can’t. He pushes me to finish the workout even though my heart near failure and my vision is blurry (i’m not exagerating). At the end of yesterday’s workout I asked him, “Do people ever just get pissed off at you?” He replied, “Yeah, all the time. I have one women who I train who always calls me ‘a&%hole’.”

He went on: “I mean, I know I’m making people work hard. They’re paying me – voluntarily – for results. So that’s what I’m pushing them towards. They can quit whenever they want.”

They he said something that struck me so deeply: “I come in here everyday and see people jogging or doing the eliptical and you know what…they never change. You know why they never change? Because it’s easy.“

How many times, do those of us who are part of a church body – slink back from really challenging people?

Think about this you paid church staff: People are vountarily paying you. Just like my personal trainer, they’re paying you (and me) for results. They want a pastor. They want to be lead like sheep. Yes, sometimes they’ll complain. Heck, they’ll even refuse to do the workout you’re giving them. But ultimately, no one is forcing them to be a part of your church.

So the challege is to push. Push harder. Push deeper. Push them to the extrememes. Ask them to do hard things. They may complain, but that’s what they really want.