the green room:

Rhythms not balance

a lot of people talk about trying to find balance in life. for a season, my wife and I pursued this as well to only find this to be nearly impossible. i still remember us sitting at our dinner table struggling to figure out how to live a balanced life all the while neglecting the natural rhythms of student ministry, weather in michigan, and the culture of mars hill.

it finally dawned on us that we love the summers here in west Michigan; but struggle with the winters. mars hill students is pretty low key in the summers while in gears up for a huge kick off in the fall. september through the middle of october seem packed and then it feels calm until the beginning of december. this calm season allows me the opportunity to teach outside of the mars community, spend a weekend away with Sarah, or spend 6 straight evenings raking leaves in my yard.

december through march feels a little crazy because of winter retreats. my wife and i try to schedule our vacations during this time so that we can get out of the snow. weekends can feel a little hectic with junior high allnighters and outside retreats but we enjoy the pace when we also have the appropriate time set aside for our family.

march through june feels hectic at mars with the school year and fiscal year coming to an end. this is also the time we have our student staff retreat and get everything finalized for our summers.

all this to say, it is nearly impossible to find balance in student ministry during the busy seasons. so be smart and look ahead with your spouse at what are the true rhythms of the ministry you serve in or lead. look for the pockets that seem to overwhelming, the spaces that are crying out for either a night away by yourself or with your bride. in doing this, you will save yourself a lot of headaches and heartaches because your family will know what to expect.

how...

have you ever had one of those moments, when you heard someone say something so profound that you wanted to hear more; but they were already long gone onto the next topic.  well that happened today in our all staff meeting, Mike Volkema, who followed Max Depree (author of leadership is an art, leading without power, and leadership jazz) as ceo of herman miller dropped a quick quote as he answered a question that i can not stop thinking about...

"vision without implimentation is daydreaming."

it's fun to daydream isn't it?  the ideas might be so compelling; but if there aren't clear on ramps i think it can leave many people stranded, frustrated or even a bit cynical.  when creating an idea or vision, think specifically about how you want to see that idea actualized.  i think when leaders share ideas without ways to respond it gives the leader an out.  it's a way for them to detatch from the idea or vision and put all the pressure on the followers to make it a reality.  but if it is not clear, who really is to blame?  the people or the leader?  the students or the teacher?  people want to know one thing and that is...

how.

how they can make the compelling a reality.  how they can play a part in the larger story.  how they can actually love their neighbor.  how they can actually help bring order to the chaos.  how...how...how.  whether you're putting together a teaching, forum for leaders, or sharing a new idea make sure you can answer the how question. 

on a side note, it's fascinating what feelings the word "how" brings up in contrast to "ideas."  think about it, it feels similar to pc vs. mac; but it's interesting because apple has been able to time after time answer the how question which has only brought more glory to their vision and ideas.  they don't day dream...they make their vision happen.  i've heard many people who are wavering on who they will vote for in november say this about barak, they love his ideas; but aren't sure how he's planning on making it happen.  have people said similar things about you?  vision needs the how question to be answered and leaders who are deeply connected to their ideas will not ignore that truth.   

is the ministry or business you lead able to answer the how question or is it a daydream waiting to implode?

if you want more info on this, check out a good book by Dov Seidman called, "How: why how we do anything means everything..."

buy a meter

have you been to www.buyameter.org?

fascinating website on how a county in alabama doesn't have access to water.  for around 425 dollars you can help provide a family with a water meter.  sounds like a potentially good student fundraiser...

your life in six words.

legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. his response?
"for sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

the world's shortest story inspired writer Larry Smith who wondered what memoirs people might be able to concoct in just six words. so he began www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ which, to date, has received 30,000 contributions, the best of which have been published in a book. this experiment reminds me of postsecret in some ways.

i'm moved by how so many people today are longing to tell their stories.  whether on postcards or in really short stories...below are a few of the 6 word stories that range from raw, bittersweet, depressing and humorous:

"revenge is living well without you."

"was father. boys died. still sad."

"clever with numbers. not with men."

"met young. got married. still infatiuated."

"raised by lunatics. still in recovery."

"work in progress. come back later."

"i like big butts, can't lie."

what six words would you use to describe your life?

hoops of hope

tomorrow from 9am - 3pm a number of junior high students will be gathering in a middle school gym shooting free throws.  they will be participating in an event for hoops of hope which was started by Austin Gutwein, an eighth grader who lives in Phoeniz, AZ.  He started this event a few years ago when he took his love for basketball and his desire to help aids orphans in africa.  you can learn more info about Austin and his dream at www.hoopsofhope.org or you can youtube "Austin Gutwein" and watch some videos that were shown during this years final four.

college interns

mars hill is pretty fortunate to have 10 colleges within a 25 mile radius of the church.  many of our leaders and interns attend or attended at one time one of these schools.  the unfortunate part for me is that i spend little to no time on any of the college campuses (except for calvin which continually brings in some of the best indie bands on a regular basis).  as we continue to try and look toward the future, we want to begin creating more consistent opportunities for some of these college students to intern with us.

as we plan for this and begin dreaming it up i've had a couple bizzare ideas cross my mind that i'd love to get your take on.  is it ridiculous to put in an intern's job description that they will help you find their eventual replacement?  the reason i thought of this is that most young emerging leaders who are fresh out of a college come with a list of names of underclassman who would be great volunteers or interns.  for those of us who are removed from many of the college campuses, these interns are some of our only real connection to that university.  i'd love to have a video intern from the local state university help us find another talented person in their program.  does this make sense?  what are your thoughts? 

substitute teaching

have you ever thought about substitute teaching once a month?  during our leader meeting last night, we had a volunteer in the.element share how she has begun substitute teaching at the middle school that the majority of her girls from her LifeGroup attend.  i couldn't believe it...i would never have assumed that this female leader would want to sub at a public school; but it all makes sense because this leaders group is one of the strongest at the.element.

i want to try and sub starting next fall.  nothing huge; but possibly twice a semester at a local school.  i think it would be fascinating to get to see some of our students on campus for more than just a lunch.  have any of you ever done this before?  what was your experience like? 

king thong...

last year in the.element we hosted a variety show where the proceeds for the evening went to the dorchester house - a ministry in the black hills neighborhood.  it was a great night, we invited students from the black hills neighborhood to perform with some of our junior high students.  we had singing, dancing and even a little art auction.  we made almost 4 thousand dollars that night; but the thing that everyone left talking about was a little art piece created by a seventh grader named Brody Norman.  this past week, his little creation was picked up by an online t-shirt company.  they took his design and made it into a shirt.  you can check it out at citizens and see up close how beautifully random the junior high mind is.

budget proposals...

if your fiscal year begins in July then you are probably beginning or in the process of having the yearly budget conversation.  i think for many leaders these 90 minute meetings can suck the life right out of you.  in those meetings, it is so easy to get caught up in the numbers and lose sight of the dream or vision you have for student ministry.  this year, i'm really trying to not let this happen.  I have a great administrative assistant in Lori Strehler and she and i put together a budget manifesto that outlined the dream first and the numbers second.  we spent the first 25 minutes walking through the mission and vision of mhs and i was astonished at how receptive the two people from our operations department were.  as the meeting continued it became clear that they didn't fully understand what mars hill students was all about.  not anymore.

they now know what we're trying to do. 

friends, the budget proposal is about more than money.  it is an opportunity for you to share your vision and get the elders, the finance advisory council, or operations department a little bit more familiar with your ministry.  don't just go in and ask them for money.  do your homework and make the time to create something memorable that they can take back to their offices that will clearly communicates your needs. they will see the manifesto, the time and effort it must have taken to put that thing together and respect you because of it.  they might not be able to give you the money or positions you want; but i guarentee you that they will fight a little bit harder on your behalf.  let's not escape this fiscal year and get lost in the numbers; but rather inspire those outlining the 09 budget with a vision that can not be ignored.

creation story...

"an important asset for any leader to have as they work to inspire and motivate there followers is a credible creation story or myth for the organization or movement they're leading." - Steve Sample, the contrarians guide to leadership.

i remember watching Steve Sample, the president of USC talk at the summit a few years back and describe the shear importance of a creation story.  Bill Hybels asked him to share the creation story of USC and in under 5 minutes he told such a powerful story that i think the majority of those in attendence were kicking ourselves for not going to USC.  that's the power of a good story. 

Sample adds, "keep in mind that leadership is all about getting followers to move in new directions; thus a creation story that enshrines the status quo is not much help to the leader.  finally, the story engenders pride among the members of the Trojan family; it inspires people to dream more audaciously than they might otherwise have done.  after all, if a tiny little college with no resourcdes to speak of, and located in a backwater village, can become an internationally renowned research university in just over a hundred years, what might the next hundred bring?"

does your ministry have a creation story?  could you in under five minutes share it with key leaders, parents or students?  does it inspire people to dream more audaciously?