the green room:

easter question...

below are lyrics from a band called Brand New. 

"Well, Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem's gonna last
More than the weekend"

I had a leader call me last night an essentially ask me what he did during those three days.  How would you answer that if a leader or student asked you?

only 6?

as i began typing out the post, "who are your 8?" i was again reminded of a quote that Mark Howerton made.  he said, "the majority of pastors really only have 6 messages.  they just find different verses, metaphors or props to explain the 6 in new ways."  i remember hearing this and thinking he was crazy; but as i started out teaching at the.element i found myself wanting to communicate about only certain things.  Marks quote has really helped me evaluate the holes in my teaching themes so that i can help present a more holistic gospel.  if you looked back over the past school year are there a few main themes you keep teaching on?  what are they?  after typing it out, do you find that any themes might be missing?

who are your 8?

i interned awhile back at a great church in costa mesa, ca called rock harbor.  i had the privilege of following Mark Howerton around a couple days a week.  he allowed me to sit in on the teaching team meetings for rock harbor, which consisted of about 8 people who gathered to find the best person to teach.  they would gather in a room once a week trying to plan about 5 to 6 weeks out by finding the passage and main idea for the teaching.  then usually Todd Proctor or Chad Halliburton would say, "who is living this teaching out among the 8 of us?" 

at this time they had no teaching pastor, so Todd, who was the lead pastor didn't want just the best communicator to teach; but the person who was living it out the best to teach.  so we would gather in a circle, look each other square in the eye and tell why we thought this person would be the best to communicate to the larger community.  it was amazing how affirming those times were even though i never got to personally teach.  this was so groundbreaking for me  because being in preaching classes learning about the proper techniques of teaching didn't really matter to these 8.  they wanted to move teaching from the transfer of ideas to something far deeper...transformation.

what if student ministries took this approach?  what could it look like to be 6 weeks out and to know the topic at hand is something the students need to hear; but be honest enough with yourself that you're probably not the best person to communicate it and find a leader, intern or friend who might be able to take it far deeper?  sure the production value might drop; but i don't necessarily think that is a bad thing because what you're declaring to your students is that the stage is sacred.  It's not just for the best communicator around; but rather for those who are living the best kind of life.  your students will begin to also understand that you can learn from anyone...even if they're a steeler or buckeye fan.

even though i'm a bengals fan...

even though i'm a bengals fan i really like the city of pittsburgh.  in the last 50 years this one time polluted industrial giant went from the steel capital of the world to a green clean city.  no other city in the country has made such a drastic transformation as pittsburgh has made.  but when we think about green cities, this isn't one that would quickly come to mind.  i think this has to do with their football team.  the steelers don't help promote the cities move to become an environmentally friendly city because their names conjures up subconscious thoughts of the industrial revolution.  we think smog.  we think aboout the many people who worked hard in those mills.  Chip and Dan Heath co wrote a book called "Made to Stick" and they talked about the power of a shema - the picture that comes to mind when we hear a word. 

as i was heading toward the airport today, i kept thinking about how do you rebrand a city who is doing so much good for the environment; but whose football team ushers images of the unhealthy past.  remember the Washington Bullets?  the city was trying to rebrand and got help from the bullets organization when it chose to change it's name to the wizards.  now, i'm not suggesting the steelers change their name; but i would love to hear how a top tier marketing firm would go about changing the image of the city for those of us outside pittsburgh. 

similarly in the bible, when i think of the word samaritan, the word associated is always "good."  but during the days of Jesus, this word was derogatory, racist and filled with hate.  but today, we don't hear that...we hear good.  i love that God can take a word that is filled with hate and now make it synonomous with good.  i'm sure this didn't just happen over night; but it was a process that was encouraged by the retelling of the story.  what aspect of your ministry is in need of reclaiming?  is it the way you view small groups, the program, missional expressions, worship, leader care, or teaching?  how can you begin this process in the next season of ministry?  the natural thought is going to be to just blow it all up and try to rebuild the city; but don't do that.  respect the culture, the leaders, students and parents and think of really strategically pastoring them toward a healthier way of ministry. 

on a side note, i do think the cincinnati bengals would have won the super bowl a few years back if carson palmer would not have gotten hurt on the first play of the bengals - steelers game.

postcards

as technology continues to speed up, i'm discovering that written notes of appreciation are almost becoming obsolete.  why would anyone mail something for 43 cents when they could just email or text?  yet there is something powerful about coming home and getting a letter or note because you recognize the extra time and space that was necessary for this to go out.  i've been trying to get better at writing more leaders, students and parents this year...

a couple of things i noticed this fall was how small i write and how big an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper actually is.  those two facts literally made me feel quite stuck when trying to write.  so my assistant, Lori Strehler and i began talking about this and we decided on creating my own personal postcard.  i drew up a little mark using my initials and took it to our communications team for them to touch up and put into a pdf file.  The communications team then hooked me up with a great paper company, not in scranton, for me to choose which type of paper i wanted.  Lori then ordered the paper, we received it the next day, we added the mark, then took it to kinko's and they cut it to a postcard size.

now i have a smaller space to write a note from time to time.  i look forward to trying to write a note to a different leader, student and parent each week.  maybe this is something you can do...

before i had these postcards, i use to order a burton catalog and rip out pages and write notes on them.  i'd also make the envelopes out of the pages as well.  it took a ton of time; but it was worth it.  you might not be as lame as i am and draw out little marks with your initials, order postcards from dunder-mifflin or even use pages from a burton catalog; but i do believe that the more you can affirm properly, the better off the ministry you lead and serve will be.   

parents team.

if you're like me you're constantly wondering how to engage parents better in your student ministry.  for the past few years we have tried to do a better job of communication with the parents via monthly emails, parent newsletters, christmas cards and a once a month gathering called the.forum.  we meet on the first tuesday of the month while the.element is going and i'll spend the first thirty minutes walking through the teachings for the month and asking for specific feedback on how these teachings can be more impactful for their child.  the advise they give is always very helpful...

after i leave, i turn over the reigns to one of the parents who lead this team.  this year i made a huge shift in who i asked to lead and serve on this team.  for the past few years i began to realize that i was asking only a certain type of parent to be on the parent team.  these parents were the ones that had 2.3 kids, drove nice cars, and were living the american dream.  granted they were great people and parents; but this past summer i began realizing that if a single parent showed up to the.forum that they would struggle to really connect and find belonging in this ministry.  so i began looking for great parents, parents who i believe had something to offer on how to raise healthy children, who could be honest with the things in their childs life that needed to be celebrated and also the things that needed prayer over.

i'm surprised with the team God blessed the.element with: we have a former pastor who works in pharmacuetical sales, a single mom with 4 boys, an owner of a tattoo parlor, a mom who works part time and has 3 wonderful kids, a mom who called me last summer and said, "she didn't want to be a mom anymore" and a father of three who striving to find the balance of work, being a great husband, follower of God and still have time to be an amazing father.  i look at this team and am amazed because our team has grown wider and can serve more parents who long to help their children live the life God created them to live.  I'm proud of the ways this team has walked alongside parents in our ministry who have struggled with various issues.

if we truly want to help students live the best kinds of life we must not forget about what happens at the dinner table.  i want what we work so hard to do on tuesdays to have a lasting effect in these student's lives and i know the only way to ensure that is to get the parents on board.  a parents team can be a great resource for you to bounce ideas, get a better idea of what the students are wrestling with at home, and build valuable capital with parents...

 

back in the nati.

today i had the chance to head back to cincy to teach at a youth ministry summit put on by cincinnati christian university.  it was a blast getting to reconnect with a few friends and some student pastors that i met a few weeks back at CIY believe.  i led two breakouts, one centered around "how to live the message you want to craft" and the other on "what the duke basketball team has taught me about recruiting volunteers."  each breakout time ended with q&a and i was thrilled with the questions these leaders were asking.  they weren't messin around...

keep up the good work and may God continue to bless and keep you.

serving with students...

this year i decided to be a LifeGroup leader in fifty6, a student ministry gathering for fifth and sixth graders at mars hill.  one of the main reasons i chose to wake up each sunday and serve at the 9am service is because of Joey Kessel.  Joey is a sophomore in high school and we've always had a pretty good relationship since he began attending the.element almost 4 years ago.  we talked this summer about wanting to serve together and the fifth and sixth grade ministry seemed like the best fit for both of us.

tonight our LifeGroup met at Joey's house for pizza, some wii, and a little star wars on the PS2.  we had a great time getting to better connect with each of the guys in our group.  it was so powerful to watch Joey interact with these students, the questions he asked and the ways he tried to encourage each of them in their own unique way.  there is something beautiful when you get the chance to serve with a student in a different ministry than you're accustomed to working in. 

this summer, grab a student you connect with and try to find a ministry you both can serve together in.  step out of a context you both are familiar with and into something that is unique and different.  this will allow you both to learn together, build more relational capital in each others lives while serving the local church...

winding down.

i haven't been sleeping well lately.  I'm going to bed at a decent time; but i just lay there while my mind races.  in those moments, i try to slow my brain down; but it feels nearly impossible.  around 2am i finally crash only to awake 5 hours later to get ready for work.  i kept wondering why i couldn't sleep until last week when i checked my email after i had brushed my teeth.  i opened 4 or 5 emails that could have waited till the morning and then i checked what appointments i had the next day.  as i headed to bed, i realized that my mind had started the process of winding down; but looking at those emails and my calendar prompted it to rev back up...

it doesn't seem really fair to my brain to do this.

so now I'm trying to allow myself adequate time to wind down before bed.  this process usually starts an hour before bed where i'll often watch tv or a movie, play a game with sarah, read or even take my dog fenway for a walk.  but i try to do whatever i can to not check my email...

if i fast forward and think about what checking my email will bring (lack of sleep, often eat really unhealthy, don't work out, struggle to find motivation, a little crabby and more self-centered than usual) it just doesn't seem worth it; but it's still hard to tell myself that in the moment.

anyone else struggle with this?   

curriculum...

i recently spent a weekend at a spring hill camp in Evart, Michigan. spring hill is one of those camps that i wish i could have attended when i was in junior high.  i respect this camp because it knows what it is trying to accomplish...

mars hill kids + mars hill students has been working hard to try and develop a 12 year curriculum.  in the past, each ministry within mhk and mhs would teach what they wanted and to be honest their was little to no consistency.  so a few months ago, a few of us began meeting to see if we could in deed get on the same page regarding content.  we locked ourselves in a conference room filled with white boards, ordered in some panera bread and just spewed on each other what we're excited to teach.  i think many of us left that meeting feeling pretty good about it; but something wasn't sitting well with me.  as i tried to fall asleep saturday night at spring hill, i realized that i'm not entirely sure what we're trying to accomplish.  we consitently talk about in mhs about wanting to help students live the best kinds of life - the life God made you to live.  how does this content help us live the best kind of life?  how does this content affect the way we create a program?  what are the outcomes that we long to see happen because of this content within students and in our world?  or is this something we're just excited about right now that might not actually be the best thing for these students developmentally?

so now we're beginning the process of working backwards.  this process is time consuming, conversations can be brutally honest and it makes me understand why we all did our own separate curriculum.  but i truly believe that when it's all said and done that we all will be able to champion each other's ministries and curriculum like never before.