I woke up this morning feeling like I had been run over by a MAC truck (and then it backed over me for good measure!) This weekend, we hosted a youth rally for almost 200 teenagers...and I am drained.
If you're in youth ministry, you will need to learn some thing about administration. The vast majority of church members have little to no idea the many hats a youth minister wears during a big event.
Take this last weekend as an example. At one point or another I was...
Emcee
A/V technician
Nurse
Kissing Police
Teacher
Worship Leader
Answerer of All Questions (AKA "Fountain of Knowledge")
Janitor
Motivator
Accountant
Host Home
Manager
Coach
Youth Minister
Parent Minister
Director of Crisis Management
Complaint Department
Along with all this, the youth minister is expected to maintain his composure and integrity. He is to look like Jesus to everyone he crosses...even those who are yelling at him.
If it sounds like I am complaining, well...maybe I am a little. :) But my hope is that churches (and youth ministers) can learn how to de-stress these big-event situations.
Note to Youth Ministers: Obviously I am still in elementary school when it comes to event planning. But I am learning that it's helpful to find people who are good at the above-mentioned roles to take the load off of you. It's no wonder we have youth ministers burning out at a terrible rate! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! Evaluate after each event, and learn from your mistakes. Above all, be encouraged that you are planting seeds for God in the hearts of young people.
Note to Church Members: If your youth minister is in the middle of an event, here are the sweetest words he could ever hear: "I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" As you can see from the above list, he already has SO much to do! Trust me, he will REJOICE if you take initiative and be totally grateful. If you're already helping in another capacity, feel free to delegate the job to another person. Tell your youth minister about it and get a free hug!
As a Christian parent, what should I teach my child on the following: "What should you do when a bully approaches and pushes you down?"
So far, I have taken the typical American father stance... "Get up and punch 'em in the face!" The main goal of this approach is to inform the bully that you will not be a pushover.
Other parents may say, "Go, tell an adult." While I hope that my boys would tell me if ever this situation arose, I imagine the time will come when an adult is not handy...even on the playground.
And then I read one of the hardest teachings of Jesus (from Luke 6):
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The way I read it, Jesus NEVER retaliated when someone attacked him physically. He was never involved in any kind of war, and He was not a brawler. He never went looking for trouble, and when it found Him, He depended on God and His teachings to get Him out.
If I am to believe the story of Christ, I MUST believe that it takes MORE strength to LOVE your enemies rather than getting revenge. I MUST believe that God will sort it out one day. I MUST believe that non-violence will achieve something better than violence. I MUST believe that LOVE (even love for my enemy) will win in the end.
And I MUST believe that this is right for my kids, too.
So far, I have taken the typical American father stance... "Get up and punch 'em in the face!" The main goal of this approach is to inform the bully that you will not be a pushover.
Other parents may say, "Go, tell an adult." While I hope that my boys would tell me if ever this situation arose, I imagine the time will come when an adult is not handy...even on the playground.
And then I read one of the hardest teachings of Jesus (from Luke 6):
27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The way I read it, Jesus NEVER retaliated when someone attacked him physically. He was never involved in any kind of war, and He was not a brawler. He never went looking for trouble, and when it found Him, He depended on God and His teachings to get Him out.
If I am to believe the story of Christ, I MUST believe that it takes MORE strength to LOVE your enemies rather than getting revenge. I MUST believe that God will sort it out one day. I MUST believe that non-violence will achieve something better than violence. I MUST believe that LOVE (even love for my enemy) will win in the end.
And I MUST believe that this is right for my kids, too.
What God Has Done For Me
“Go home and tell your family how much the LORD has done for you…”
Our minister, Jim White, challenged us this morning to tell our stories. I started to wonder what I would tell someone if they asked how Jesus had worked in my life…
The LORD put me under the supervision of two loving, Christian parents. They have shown me what it means to truly live as Christ did. They taught me to be color-blind when it comes to skin, forgiving when it comes to offenses, polite when speaking to others, and loving in all situations. I often wonder what my life would have looked like in another home…and then I thank God for my family.
Since I started following Jesus, I have been relieved of trying to control the world.
Yes, you read that right. I don’t have to worry about “getting ahead in this world.” I don’t have to fret, position, maneuver, plot, or use guilt to try and control situations or people. I have come to trust that God is in control, and I am not. Because of this, I have been relieved of SO much stress!
Money, popularity and “stuff” are not the driving factors in my life. Do I still struggle with desire for these things? Sure. But when I see the unhappiness of so many rich people, I’m thankful that my bank account doesn’t contain 6 digits! Once, when walking through a rich Omaha neighborhood, Tracy and I wondered what it would be like to live in one of those homes. Then, the thought came, “Yeah, but I wonder how much screaming goes on behind those doors.” Using God-instinct, we know those things won’t purchase the contentment we so desperately seek.
My faith also makes it OK NOT to know the answers to everything. An atheist reading this might mock me for this, but that’s OK. My friends know that this does NOT mean I put my brain on the back-burner and bury my head in the sand. I am actually quite a curious person. I am currently trying to teach myself Hebrew and one of my favorite books is “The Case for Christ,” in which an agnostic journalist researches the story of Jesus and comes to find faith in Him.
However, I don’t have to live in mental agony, trying to understand all the unanswered questions of this world. It also means that I don’t have to PRETEND to know everything. That’s too much hard work! I know a lot of people who “know everything,” but still fail in life and love. Knowledge is good, but it’s still secondary to love put into action.
Because of God, I have a GIGANTIC family! I have been blessed to travel to Africa, Jamaica, Brazil and most of the United States. There are people there who treat me like a brother. I have a “brother” in India, Ricky Gootam, who is doing wonderful things for God! My network is larger than any cell phone company!!
Lastly (for the sake of this post) knowing God gives me JOY! This one is a little harder to explain. I guess the joyful part of knowing Him came when I found out He was a God of love. My Father is the BEST at loving! He loves scores of undeserving people, and has WAY more patience than any human I know!
And now, I put the question to you: “What has God done for YOU?”Feel free to answer here, on your own blog, or tell a neighbor!
Our minister, Jim White, challenged us this morning to tell our stories. I started to wonder what I would tell someone if they asked how Jesus had worked in my life…
The LORD put me under the supervision of two loving, Christian parents. They have shown me what it means to truly live as Christ did. They taught me to be color-blind when it comes to skin, forgiving when it comes to offenses, polite when speaking to others, and loving in all situations. I often wonder what my life would have looked like in another home…and then I thank God for my family.
Since I started following Jesus, I have been relieved of trying to control the world.
Yes, you read that right. I don’t have to worry about “getting ahead in this world.” I don’t have to fret, position, maneuver, plot, or use guilt to try and control situations or people. I have come to trust that God is in control, and I am not. Because of this, I have been relieved of SO much stress!
Money, popularity and “stuff” are not the driving factors in my life. Do I still struggle with desire for these things? Sure. But when I see the unhappiness of so many rich people, I’m thankful that my bank account doesn’t contain 6 digits! Once, when walking through a rich Omaha neighborhood, Tracy and I wondered what it would be like to live in one of those homes. Then, the thought came, “Yeah, but I wonder how much screaming goes on behind those doors.” Using God-instinct, we know those things won’t purchase the contentment we so desperately seek.
My faith also makes it OK NOT to know the answers to everything. An atheist reading this might mock me for this, but that’s OK. My friends know that this does NOT mean I put my brain on the back-burner and bury my head in the sand. I am actually quite a curious person. I am currently trying to teach myself Hebrew and one of my favorite books is “The Case for Christ,” in which an agnostic journalist researches the story of Jesus and comes to find faith in Him.
However, I don’t have to live in mental agony, trying to understand all the unanswered questions of this world. It also means that I don’t have to PRETEND to know everything. That’s too much hard work! I know a lot of people who “know everything,” but still fail in life and love. Knowledge is good, but it’s still secondary to love put into action.
Because of God, I have a GIGANTIC family! I have been blessed to travel to Africa, Jamaica, Brazil and most of the United States. There are people there who treat me like a brother. I have a “brother” in India, Ricky Gootam, who is doing wonderful things for God! My network is larger than any cell phone company!!
Lastly (for the sake of this post) knowing God gives me JOY! This one is a little harder to explain. I guess the joyful part of knowing Him came when I found out He was a God of love. My Father is the BEST at loving! He loves scores of undeserving people, and has WAY more patience than any human I know!
And now, I put the question to you: “What has God done for YOU?”Feel free to answer here, on your own blog, or tell a neighbor!
Uh-oh, Soapbox Issue!!
Soapbox topic tonight...
Omaha City Council is digging into old law books to find out if it's legal for city firefighters to raise money for MDA while on the clock.
Hey, City Council, don't you think you could spend your time on worth-while conquests?
Your people are NOT worried about this issue! They are worried about the number of shootings in our city, which continues to rise. They are wondering why you are tearing down a beloved city landmark (Rosenblatt Stadium) when there is no money to build a new stadium (and not much room downtown, either.) They are wondering why already-high property taxes are being raised.
I don't know how much influence you have over these things, but I am VERY upset at your use of time in fighting the firefighters on the above-mentioned issue.
If anything, MORE companies OUGHT to encourage their employees to raise money for charities while ON THE CLOCK! Why can the city not get behind the firefighters for this? Is this not "in the city's long-range plans?" Why is helping others with a debilitating disease so taboo?
Come on, City Council. Let's focus on things that will improve this great city. Let's encourage our people to be generous, benevolent, and to help one another!
Omaha City Council is digging into old law books to find out if it's legal for city firefighters to raise money for MDA while on the clock.
Hey, City Council, don't you think you could spend your time on worth-while conquests?
Your people are NOT worried about this issue! They are worried about the number of shootings in our city, which continues to rise. They are wondering why you are tearing down a beloved city landmark (Rosenblatt Stadium) when there is no money to build a new stadium (and not much room downtown, either.) They are wondering why already-high property taxes are being raised.
I don't know how much influence you have over these things, but I am VERY upset at your use of time in fighting the firefighters on the above-mentioned issue.
If anything, MORE companies OUGHT to encourage their employees to raise money for charities while ON THE CLOCK! Why can the city not get behind the firefighters for this? Is this not "in the city's long-range plans?" Why is helping others with a debilitating disease so taboo?
Come on, City Council. Let's focus on things that will improve this great city. Let's encourage our people to be generous, benevolent, and to help one another!
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