Dan Herod - How to Make Your Campus Club Great

How to make your campus club great! from Dan Herod on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you have a campus club going?

Dan Herod - Six Steps to Start Your Campus Club (video)

Dan Herod is a friend and former classmate of mine (NCU). He is now the Wisconsin-Northern Michigan District Youth Alive director. We invited him to preach at The Underground a few months ago, and he really blessed us with the Word and his testimony.



Six Steps To Start Your Campus Club from Dan Herod on Vimeo.

Open.LifeChurch.TV

Brothers and Sisters,

I strongly encourage you to investigate and consider using the free resource at Open.LifeChurch.tv. What a blessing it is for LifeChurch.tv to share these freely (you do have to agree to a license agreement, but it's still free). Beyond the surface of the free videos and background images, there are also entire message series, outlines, supporting materials, and small group discussion questions.

Why Products Suck (And How To Make Them Suck Less)

Your product is that which you are intending to produce. Take a look at this article and let's discuss.

Why Products Suck (And How To Make Them Suck Less)

9 Tips for Public Appearances

Preparation is key, whether or not you end up using your material. At the invitation of an area DJ, I was invited to be interviewed on Q90 FM (90.1 FM in the Fox Cities/Green Bay area). The DJ, Dave Fiorazo, has recently joined our tribe at Christ's Church of the Valley, and he wants to do whatever he can to promote what our ministry is doing. And it's great.

The interview coincided with the Q's semi-annual fundraising "Q Drive."  They use this opportunity to solicit call-in pledges to raise the money required to operate the radio station for six-months at a time.  Because of this, even though I was on the show for one hour, I really wasn't able to say very much-- but I was ready to do so. My communications coordinator put together some questions and answers and printed it out so that I could coherently discuss what it is that we do when we do.  While I couldn't get through all of them, I was prepared (and am now prepared for future opportunities) to share about what God is doing through our ministry.

For you, questions to have ready to go at any time (some of these can be on your website, but others should be more current):

• What are you called?
• Where do you meet?
• When do you meet?
• What are your emphases? (discipleship, fun, outreach, games, safety and security, worship, playing, etc.)
• What does a usual meeting look like (lay out the event schedule)?
• What have you been preaching/teaching on recently?
• What is your website?

Tips

1. When time is limited, or you don't want to disrupt the momentum of what God is already doing (as it was for me in this instance), drop the website URL as frequently as possible.

2. Don't be obnoxious. Humility goes a long way (this is a lesson I have to re-learn time and time again).

3. Be yourself. Unless you are obnoxious. In that case, really go for it. When you find yourself in a situation from which there is no escape, the only option is to go even deeper.

4. Be helpful! Support whatever effort you are contributing to. If it's a fundraiser for a radio station (hypothetically), don't go asking for money for your own organization.

5. Prepare! Even if you're great at winging it, don't let all your time expire without doing what you came there to do.

6. Tell everyone you can think of about the opportunity, and recruit those closest to you to do the same thing. Ideally you don't want to be self-promoting... so get other people to do the promotion on your behalf.

7. Glorify God in your actions, speech, and relationships with others.

8. Be gracious and thankful (don't just act gracious and thankful). These can be wonderful opportunities, so avoid any sense of entitlement.

9. Follow up with a thank you to the host and those who invited you. Be classy and include a nice 8x10 autographed picture. Just kidding.

What tips do you have?

Resurgence article: Showing gratitude to your volunteers

I think this article from The Resurgence does a nice job of highlighting the necessity of thanking our leaders and showing gratitude. I am notoriously bad at this, personally.

http://www.theresurgence.com/in_the_wake_of_leadership

Back to Go->

Last night (already) and a portion of this morning, I preached at Go-> youth in De Pere, part of CrossPoint Church. After worship and a message, we took to the sidewalks of Main Avenue to share Jesus' love with passersby. Thank you for inviting me to preach God's Word-- great to see AJ, AdriElle, Lindsay, Wesley, Jerry, and Chrysta! Great to meet the rest of you, too-- Josh, Lizzy, and Kirk.

Logos 4 Bible Software

As a gift for my licensing, my congregation purchased Logos 4 Bible Software. Thank you, Christ's Church of the Valley! I'll be sure to update (at some point) this blog with a review.

There's No Such Thing as Part-Time

"Raise your hand if you're a part-time youth pastor or youth leader," said Kirby St. John. "You guys are my heroes."

What!? This was a little stunning to hear, and it was the first time I had heard it. Here's why he said it. As a part-time youth pastor, putting in time at another full-time job, we are putting in about 50-60 hours a week-- not with our families. That's on the verge of, if not firmly entrenched in, workaholicism (don't even get me started on how stupid of a word that is). We was admiring our dedication to God's call.

It was good to hear from someone who is in full-time ministry for so many reasons. The first? Self-loathing. If you are a part-time youth pastor or youth leader, you may have struggled with this as well. I've asked myself, "If I'm called to be a pastor, why don't I just quit my full-time job in faith that God will have a full-time pastor job for me?" The answer of self-loathing comes back as, "Because I must not have enough faith."

That's wrong for so many reasons, but I'll touch on one: Paul, the Apostle and evangelist, worked a full-time job making tents (the type you see setup at a farmers market). But, as far as we know, he didn't have his wife and kids suffering from his absenteeism. Those kinds of hours require some deliberate family maintenance. I came home from my 40-hour tent making job, only to immediately head to my home office to study and write a sermon. In the in between time, my 3-year-old welcomed me in, and asked, "Are you going to stay in my house now? Going to stay?" As opposed to go to the office. Or church. Or youth gathering. Or a meeting. "Yes, I'm going to stay... it's my house too," I replied. He repeated his question a few more times, just to make sure I understood. I understand all too well.

The second? Recognition of effort. Part-time pay and hours does not mean part-time ministry. Ministry is full-time. Whether you have a set number of office hours, or expectations of hours "put in" to your ministry job, there are countless other tasks and responsibilities of student ministry that add up. Putting in 10 hours each work could mean: 2 hours for youth gathering, 1 hour for worship team practice, 1 hour for setup/tear down, 4 hours for study/sermon prep, and a monthly meeting with leaders. What we don't add is the time spent thinking about our next fundraiser for missions.Praying for kids. Praying for the leaders. Praying for God to lead us and tell us what to do next. Replying to parents emails about great ideas (they are great). Carefully thinking about how to reply to those parents. Preparing for camp. Preparing for retreat.Planning group events. Keeping in touch with kids who have been AWOL for a few weeks.  Some of that is just part of life. But so much more is either self-imposed or God-imposed. What gets cut out must be those things that God doesn't prioritize.

This could easily become a rant about how much a part-time youth pastor must do, but that's not the point here, because any leader in a church must only do what God has called them to do, and what God is telling them to do right now. The point is, my own self-loathing and embarrassment that I wasn't full-time was annihilated by an encouraging word from a respected leader. Someone who didn't follow that statement up with, "but have you thought of doing XYZ? It would be great!" There was no catch. Just encouragement. Just a word from God through his obedient vessel.

Free video loop at TWOTP - Solitary Place

The Work of the People: Loops: A Solitary Place Loop

"I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]! My mom is there!"

This statement is simultaneously hilarious, sad, and true. Over the last three years, my heart has been blessed by the progress made and depth of worship attained by the students at our youth gathering. The truth is, if there was some sort of meeting scheduled on Thursday night that had some sort of time machine (with or without flux capacitor, I don't want to get technical), that would take our students now back to then(three years ago), we would have quite the discussion afterward.  Granted, most of that discussion would be regarding how cool it was to time travel, and wondering why we didn't make bets on how great the Yankees would do in the World Series in 2009 (world champs), but eventually we would be able to really talk about the differences we noticed.

So what changed?  Hearts changed.  We elevated the Word of God, and more deliberately preached from scripture about what it means to worship.  I remember it well-- we preached a series on "Resisting The Devil," which included a message on the occult and a message on what it means to worship.  The frustrated worship leader had left for another congregation where he felt he be utilized more to God's purpose.  We practiced worshiping scripturally.  We exercised those muscles that caused us to kneel, lay prostrate, and raise our hands.  That month of May, three years ago, saw the first sparks of real Spirit-breathed life in worship from the community of believers who were gathered.

What else happened? There were some kids who attended so intermittently that when they showed up a few weeks later, they were stunned.  They were behind the curve, and they didn't understand what was happening.  Some of them immediately responded to the new, Spiritual and expressive dynamic, but some bucked against that.  They essentially said, "I don't know what's happening, and I don't want to know."  Three years later, and these students still have a chip on their shoulder around their peers.  It was a chip that was there before this watershed experience, but that has persisted, despite the attempts to reach out to them.

And now, so many years later, the younger kids (6th, 7th, 8th) are able to look at the examples of appropriate and passionate worship that the older students are living; examples that those older kids didn't have.  We're building on foundations, and it's exciting! What example are the older students setting at your student ministry? Are they bringing the younger ones up along side them? Are they belittling their efforts? Have they forgotten where they came from (Deut 5:15)?

Before	Now
Like pulling teeth to explain that worship is not just singing songs-- it's about attitude	Able to ignore outside distractions and focus on Jesus
Just singing songs, goofing around	Giving themselves to God in worship
No physical posture of worship	Laying prostrate, raising hands, kneeling
No response to God's revelation	Immediate and obedient responses to God's revelation and prompting
"Worship" meant "Christian Songs"	Worship means the heart and attitude we have when we approach God. Just because it's "Christian-themed" doesn't mean it's worship
Only worship when feeling like it	We worship because God commands it, and his revelation to us requires nothing less
Leaving the same as arrived	Allowing God to transform through worship. Leaving better than arrived.
Only singing songs that are good, or make me feel good, or that I like	Slowly incorporating hymns of our Christian heritage and songs that come from scripture and doctrine-- not just "feel good" songs that you might hear on pop radio.

But Sunday mornings, it's a different story.  The students sit in the front rows of the congregation, but they don't "enter in" to worship like I know they do.  They are oppressed by fear.  I challenged them about this, and the response that came back to me was, "I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]!  My mom is there!"  I don't believe that they're afraid of their parents watching them worship-- I think it's more about the car ride home and the conversations that they are trying to avoid. They seem to want to worship God, but don't want to deal with the embarrassment of being noticed by their parents doing it!

This is the desire to remain anonymous; to avoid attention from parents. If only we could help them realize that most of their parents will be thrilled by seeing such dedication and passion. God would be pleased with their sacrifice and praise. And the example that they set in what they teach, the way they live, their love, their faith, and their purity will free others to worship God as freely (1 Tim 4:12).

Free Video: Robbie Seay Band - TWOTP

Free video from Robbie Seay Band at The Work of the People.

Awaken!

A Word About Worship - Recap

Jen P. shared her perspective on worship, and asked us what that might look like in this 5-part series.

• A Word About Worship - Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five

A Word About Worship Part Five

I think we don’t give God authority over minds in a church setting when we get prideful of our role in a church service. For example, I can’t help but notice that many ‘worship bands’ act with an air of entitlement and ego in their attitude rather than acting with the knowledge that they are serving the church body with their gifts and praising the Almighty. We don’t give God authority over our time when we are too busy to notice a brother/sister in need…or maybe we just don’t care. Too often, myself included in this mind you, we see people hungry, hurt, or on the fringes and don’t reach out. We don’t meet the need. Are we missing opportunities to authentically worship the God we serve when we do this? We don’t give God authority over our lives when we follow our own path and completely ignore God’s calling. We cannot worship Him with our lives without giving authority to Him.
Worship is singing songs of praise, yes, but it should also be in every part of our life. Worship is giving authority over to God in every way we can. Micah 6:8 (NLT) “…the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Let your life be worship!

A Word About Worship Part Four

There is an interesting phrase that keeps standing out in my mind when thinking about bowing down; we are to place God in a position of authority over. It’s a key part of worship. What does that look like? How are we, the Church, doing it right? How are we doing it wrong? How are we placing God in a position of authority over our own lives?
I think we, the Church, get it right in a number of ways actually. We can show God that He is above our authority in our finances by giving a tithe and offering to do the work of the Kingdom. We can show God that he is in a position of authority over our conduct when we abide by His standards of living rather than cultural standards. We can show that He has authority of our time by committing ourselves to the study of His Word and seeking Him daily in prayer. We submit to His will for our lives as act of worship.
How we worship God wrong in the Church is a much more uncomfortable thing to write about. It forces me to examine myself in this, too. Yikes.

On Their Own

The question may come to a youth pastor or leader, the shepherd, of "when to let go?"  When has discipleship set in?  When are the training wheels off?  If it is a matter of sooner or later, I would say later, not sooner.

 

A Word About Worship Part Three

“Thou shalt worship the Lord they God…” Matthew 4:10 (KJV). The word used for ‘worship’ in this piece of scripture is Greek; proskyneo. Proskyneo means to pay homage, show reverence, and (similarly to the Old Testament Hebrew word ‘saha’) to kneel down. This word is the most common word for worship in the New Testament. We also see it used again and again in John 4:23 (KJV) when Jesus is speaking with a Samaritan Woman. “But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” The Father is clearly looking for us to pay Him homage, show reverence, and bow down.

A Word About Worship Part Two

Throughout the Old Testament we can see that the most common word used for worship is ‘saha.’ This word is most commonly translated as ‘to bow down or bend down.’ Likewise Deuteronomy 26: 10 says (KJV), “…and worship before the LORD thy God.” This same word is used in 1 Chronicles 16:29, “Worship (saha) the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” We are also told in Exodus 34:14 it says (KJV) “For thou shalt worship (saha) no other god.”

The idea of bowing down before God, and only Him, is clearly important. Taking the meaning of the word ‘saha’ as to bow or bend down we can dissect the origin and intent of bowing in historical and cultural context. We know that bowing is a sign of respect and reverence. It is a physical representation of placing oneself beneath someone else, or in this case, the Lord. Ergo, He is in the exalted position and we acknowledge God’s position of authority over us.

Continued...

Free Video Loop at The Work of the People

The Work of the People: Loops: Doves Loop

A Word About Worship Part One

As Christians we so often associate the word ‘worship’ with music only, but worship is much broader than just music. Let’s take a look at what the Word says about worship. There is a common concept about the word ‘worship’ in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and that concept is the physical bowing or bending down. How does this concept of bowing down relate to how we as Christians should worship God?

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Recap

Retreats, camps, meetings, lock-ins, advances... Call them what you want, but these times are highly important for community development.

This series outlines just some of the importance of retreats for student ministry.

• The Importance of Retreats
• Road Trip
• Shared Tribe Experiences
• A New/Different Voice
• Opportunities
• Testimonies
• Retreat Tips
• Coming Home

Retreats - Coming Home

Coming home

Here are a few things to avoid when coming home from the retreat or camp.  The first is with parents.  Give the parents a heads up on what to expect when kids come home.  Teenagers are already moody.  When kids are picked up or dropped off back home, well-meaning and loving parents are going to want to re-connect with their kids.  That is great!  However, these kids may have pushed themselves to the limits of what their bodies will handle when it comes to sleep. Staying up late and waking up early combined with caffeine and emotional experiences at the altar can yield really cranky teenagers.  Really cranky teenagers and a will-intentioned parent can end up in a car ride filled with fights.

 

The best advice I can give is to proactively cut this off.  Welcome them home, pray for them, and be warned that they may have a lot of energy to burn at the onset.  They're going to be excited to see you too, and may just start talking.  Parents should welcome, but not expect, immediate conversations about how great things were.  Don't dive right into all the things that the student needs to get accomplished when they get home.  Give them a chance for a nap if they want it.

 

After a week of camp, it's really easy for a student to rationalize (even some adult leaders will do this--guilty as charged) not going attending church on the subsequent Sunday.  "I was just at church for a week-- that's like ten weeks of regular church!"  Challenge them to not skip.  Show up and lead by examples of their faith and commitment.  Along with that, talk deliberately to a few students to see who are willing to share their testimony from camp.  Even better-- record it, and make a montage of testimony clips-- and share these with the larger congregation.

 

Despite the concept of "church night" being a dying concept, most youth gatherings meet on Wednesday nights.  Ours does not.  We meet on Sundays.  If you do meet on Sundays, and you are coming off of a weekend retreat, do not cancel your gathering.  Make it known that you are going to gather-- it is on, and it is time!  This gives the immediate opportunity for them to continue the worship and depth that they had while they were at camp, and to bring that energy and enthusiasm for God back.  This is a living testimony to those who did not or could not attend.  Furthermore, it shows that "camp experiences" -- those things that are done when away -- aren't limited to those places.  God is not bound by geography.

 

Conclusion

Retreats, lock-ins, camps, and conferences can be an experience, with students and leaders immersed in a culture of spiritual development and movements of God.  While they can be physically exhausting, they are simultaneously restorative as an experience.  While not revolving a student ministry around camps and retreats, these are excellent support to what you're already doing.

Retreat Tips

Retreat Tips

Don't avoid retreats.  It's very easy for a pastor or a church to become self-involved.  It is important to look up and out to meet with other believers and fellowship, worship God together, and pray for each other.  When at the retreat, contrive ways for your tribe to mix it up and mingle with other tribes in attendance.  Challenge them to sit in different spots for each chapel service.  Challenge them to sit with other groups during at least one meal.  Challenge the older students to "adopt" a younger student for the event, having them look out for the younger ones and encourage them.

Update Twitter/Facebook with blurbs and pictures of what's going on so that parents at home have some connection.  Use this ability to solicit prayers so that the greater congregation has a connection to the students.

As the leader, take advantage of the time with other leaders.  Ask about their gatherings.  Talk about books you are reading or podcasts you listen to.  Talk about fundraisers, outreaches, gathering formats.  What are your students studying?  You might learn a great idea of how to accomplish something that has been a challenge for you.  It's really easy to start spouting off all of your great ideas.  Instead, really work on your listening.  Let God pour into you through others.

As the leader, set the example for your tribe.  When something needs to be done (chairs moved, garbage picked up, etc.), be one of the first people to jump up and do it.  If you bring other leaders from your tribe, require them to do that same.  These are the examples of being servants that build credibility.  If there are option breakout sessions, make them required for your leaders and students.  If there are no breakout sessions scheduled, have your leaders put together something for a daily meeting with your students.


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Testimonies

Testimonies

This is key.  Do not forget this part.  Once back at your usual gathering, take the time for the students to share their testimonies with the tribe.  This time of sharing is scriptural (Revelation 12:11) and helpful.  Those who attended can share what they learned and what God is doing in them with everyone, including those who could not attend for one reason or another.  This can help solidify the experience as well.  As weeks go on, perhaps invite others to share again, now they have had time to implement what they have learned and committed to.


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Opportunities

Opportunities

There are several opportunities to "bring something back" to your gathering.  The first is to implement good and scriptural techniques that would help your tribe engage more deeply with God.  At worst, there are new discussion points as you may have to scramble to perform damage control due to an over-zealous but under-informed/-educated/-prepared preacher poor self-restraint and lack of a governor between brain and mouth.  In any case, when retreats hand out lemons as part of the registration fee, do not neglect the opportunity to make lemonade.

Continued...

They Need Good Pastors and Good Churches Everywhere – Kevin DeYoung

This article is pointed-- at some of us! Thanks to Pr. V for passing this on to us.

From Kevin DeYoung's response to an article by Bill Steeger. Here is the portion of the article that DeYoung quotes.

It’s amazing how many young pastors feel that they are distinctly called to reach the upwardly-mobile, young, culture-shaping professionals and artists. Can we just be honest? Young, upper-middle-class urban professionals have become the new “Saddleback Sam”.

Seriously, this is literally the only group I see proposals for. I have yet to assess a church planter who wants to move to a declining, smaller city and reach out to blue collar factory workers, mechanics, or construction crews. Not one with an evangelsitic strategy to go after the 50-something administrative assistant who’s been working at the same low-paying insurance firm for three decades now.

Why is that? I can’t offer a definitive answer. It could be that God is legitimately calling an entire generation of young pastors to turn their focus to a small segment of the population that happens to look very much like they do.

Perhaps for Steeger and his crew, the issue is a matter of call. Is there a call or is there an attraction? In my flesh, I'd rather be in sunny Mexico or Hawaii, but in my spirit, which is empowered by and follows the Holy Spirit, I am called to Wisconsin. Maybe Acts 29 is attracting people who want to be like the other people in Acts 29 (Driscoll, etc.). We emulate those we admire, and until we start elevating the work (in our hearts and minds) of those who minister in small fellowships/tribes and low-populated backwoods areas in comparison to the megachurches, this will keep happening.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm not coming down on Acts 29. In fact, in the case of Acts 29, I'm just speculating.  But with Bible college, I have some experience.

At Bible college, how often was some church building verge-of megachurch Preacher was invited to speak at chapel? Hundreds. These are how we measure success. These are the ministries and efforts that are propped up and highlighted in our formative ministry educations, and therefore, these are who we emulate.

Key quotes:

"As I like to remind idealistic twentysomethings, community is a wonderful ideal until you have it. It's easy for Christianity to be nothing but cultural wallpaper in the Bible belt. Sins go under cover for years and sometimes generations. The gospel can devolve into family values, moralism, or Republicanism."

"Preaching the gospel week after week is heroic."

"Be willing to suffer, but don't feel guilty for pleasure."

Put your thoughts in the comments section.

Read the complete article here:

They Need Good Pastors and Good Churches Everywhere – Kevin DeYoung

The Importance of Retreats - A New/Different Voice

A New/Different Voice

It doesn't matter if you are one of the best preachers around, there is a good chance that at some point your students will desire (either consciously or sub-consciously) a break from your teaching.  And that's okay.  A retreat is a perfect opportunity for that (unless you're the preacher there too).  At some conferences the attendees are exposed to a dozen or more speakers.  Some there are just one or two.  Either way, that exposure is good.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Shared Tribe Experiences

Shared Tribe Experiences

The community that is built in 48 hours of immersion as a community at a retreat is worth more than 12 weeks of 2-hour meetings.  The depth of community that happens as students worship together for hours and hours over the course of a weekend is unobtainable through the normal youth gathering structure, and it is not to be ignored.

New Friends

The friendships that are formed not just within the tribe but with other students from the area are great to see.  It's a subtle encouragement that says, This is not limited to you.  God is moving all over the place!  You are not alone.

Witness

At retreats and camps, students are able to witness several things.

1. Other people worshiping God
2. Other ways people worship
3. God moving in others
4. God moving in their friends

Continued...

Luke 12:1 - Prepared to Be Crushed?

Are we prepared to be crushed?

The Importance of Retreats - Road Trip

Road Trip

A weekend retreat or a week-long camp are a different type of experience.  They may travel together, yielding great road trip stories.  I was at a retreat this weekend.  One carload told me how their GPS navigation setup had failed them in the backwoods, with them turning onto a snowmobile trail, and ending up with the nose of their car vertically in the air and puppy-chow spilled everywhere as they hoped they wouldn't tip over.  Nice.

In the comments section, tell us about your tribe's hilarious road trip stories!


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats

Retreats, camps, lock-ins, and conferences are a staple of student ministry.  While many of my articles up until this point have been toppling sacred cows (games, music, etc.), this is one with which I agree.  The benefits are myriad.

Depending on your geography, it's possible that the students in your tribe only meet once or twice a week for a couple of hours.  Your kids may be congregating and converging from many different schools, and the only shared experiences they have involve circling their chairs, playing an ice breaker, singing songs, sitting quietly and listening to a sermon, and praying.  Those are good, but they are incomplete.  It's a 90 minute or 2-hour stint, and then nothing for another 7 days.

Continued...

Liar! Liar! The current missiological debate on contextualization rages on…

Liar! Liar! The current missiological debate on contextualization rages on…

This article has numerous resources for educating yourself and your congregation on the C5 method of contextualization and missions.

Free video loop at Midnight Oil Productions

The Monthly Worship Media Freebie | Midnight Oil Productions

Download a free Good Friday loop at Midnight Oil Productions.

Music at Youth Gathering - part 5

Purpose of Songs

Every song that was ever written served a purpose.  It is just as important when selecting a song for a gathering that we do it with purpose.  We should take into account the purpose the writer had when writing the song.  There is the occasional and controversial trend of worship bands leading a secular song.  While this can be effective as part of an overall theme, care should be taken considering such a course of action.  For example, a sermon or series on lust should probably not be branded with "I Want Your Sex" as sung by the same people who are anointed to lead us in engaging our maker.  Does that mean the song itself should be outlawed?  Not necessarily.  Why are you using the song?  Why that song?  Is there an alternative that is as effective in communicating the theme without relying on shock value?  If not, find someone else who knows more about music.

 

We should also take into account what purpose the song will serve during our own gathering.

 

Call to worship.  A call to worship is a song which invites the congregation to begin worship.  They declare what our intention is and what we're about to do, while simultaneously doing it.  "We're going to sing a song to you, God."  In some fellowships, it's the first song played which lets everyone know it's time to grab your coffee and sit down (don't even get me started).  Examples: We've Come to Declare; Come, Now is the Time to Worship; How Great is Our God; Mighty to Stand.

 

Vertical worship.  Vertical worship are songs sung to God, not just about God.  These songs are most appropriate for a worship gathering.  These songs use phrases such as "You are" (upward).  Examples include: Here I Am to Worship; Blessed Be Your Name; Draw Me Close; Better is One Day; Lift It.

 

Declaration/Anthem.  Declaration or Anthemic songs are songs sung about God.  These can be very emotionally inspirational and uniting of the community.  They can be a great way to conclude a gathering.  These songs will often say what we believe or what we will do.  These songs use phrases such as "God is", "He is", "we will", or some call to action like, "Tell the world that...".  Examples include: Our God is a Great God; How Great is Our God; Ancient of Days; Awesome God; Tell the World; Mighty to Stand.

 

Didactic/Teaching.  These songs teach something about doctrine or theology.  They are different from declaration or anthems in that they are designed to be informative.  A lot of children's songs are of this type, but also so many hymns.  Examples: Jesus Loves Me.

 

Prayer/Offering.  These are prayers that are sung.  These are great as special music, times of contemplation, or as a way to conclude a gathering.  Examples: You Said; Lift It.

Music at Youth Gathering - part 4

IOUD

Inward. Inward songs are focused on us and our relationship to God. These songs have a lot of "I" in them. "I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice," etc. The lyrics lend themselves to intimate time with God and what.

Outward. Outward songs are focused on telling each other and the world about what we believe and what we will do. These songs have a lot of "we" in them. "We want to see Jesus lifted high," for example.

Upward. Upward songs are directed to God. There are a lot of "You" (big Y) in these songs.

Downward. Downward songs have lyrics that seem to be from the perspective of God to us. There are a lot of "you" (little y) in these songs. These are probably best done as special or supporting music, rather than a congregational song.

Now, get ready to have your brain wrinkled: some songs can be multiple combinations of the above mentioned types. For example, the song "You Said" both quotes God, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you," and has us, his people, responding to God, "That's the cry of my heart!"

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 3

Purposeful Types of Worship Songs

There are many types of worship songs, and this list is not all inclusive.  This is designed to get your mind thinking about the purpose behind song selections.  This is not meant to limit God or the Holy Spirit.

Personal and Corporate

Michael Clary's blog talks about two types: personal and corporate.  Essentially, personal tend to be the "Jesus is my boyfriend" type of songs-- very intimate and ... personal.  As the author of that blog points out, "These may be great to listen to in the car or in one's own time with God, but are not appropriate for the gathered body."  Corporate are the songs that are designed to sing corporately (duh).  I shouldn't have to explain these further, and you can check out the resource article if you want more context.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 2

Sacred versus Christian

I have been trying to deliberately stop using the phrase "Christian Music."  That's really a marketing term, anyway.  Let's talk about sacred versus secular.  Sacred is the term that I have used to replace "Christian" when it comes to music.  I ask myself, "Is this music set apart to worship and lead into worship as engaging God and glorifying Him?"  Secular has a negative connotation about it, but it shouldn't.  To me, secular is just a broad term to describe music that was not written for the purpose of leading worship.  A lot of Christians have sung the song "Jesus Take the Wheel."  We could say that this is a "Christian" song, because it talks about Jesus.  But would we say that his is a sacred song that we should sing as part of our glorification and honoring God during our gatherings?  In most cases, the answer is no.

I listen to so-called "Christian radio" that plays CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).  These are positive songs that sing about God, but are not sung to God.  They're declarative in purpose, but fall short when it comes to directing focus on who God is.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 1

Stop the Music

As with all other aspects of a youth gathering, the music should serve a purpose. Music, however, is only a part of the overall gathering, and only a part of worship. Worship is the attitude with which one engages God. This series will not be a discussion about music style, so you won't find a rant about the Led Zepplin meets leprauchan style of "We Will Dance" (at least not in this series). Style is cultural. Worship is not.

It is important to worship with purpose. The music is not there merely to fill time or entertain. In fact, if the music at your youth gathering is there only to fill time or entertain, then stop the music. Don't let your musical worship time be merely a "song service." A song service is more performance oriented; singing songs without the expressed purpose of worship. It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to bait students with popular songs. Don't get caught in that mindset! Even though a song is played on CCM radio doesn't mean it's a worship song.

First and foremost, make sure that the songs that are sung are theocentric (God-focused). Not all Christian or Gospel songs are designed for bringing focus to God. Some Christian artists just have good positive music, but the lyrical content is so watered down that the songs are not catalysts to engaging our creator.

Continued...

Big find in Jerusalem

Archeologists have discovered a wall in Jerusalem that supports the Bible's historical accuracy as it pertains to Kings David and Solomon.  According to the article posted on MSNBC, a key point of dispute is whether Jerusalem could have had the infrastructure and resources necessary to build these fortifications.  It turns out, they did.  Thank you, science, for supporting the claims of scripture.

The Importance of Biblical Literacy

Biblical literacy to the modern Church is extremely important. As Bible-believing followers of Christ we have an obligation to know the Word upon which our faith is based. First we must define biblical literacy. Biblical literacy is being literate of the Bible, which not only is being able to read the Word at face value, but also being able to determine historical and cultural contexts and inter-contextual connections.

Nothing irritates me more than hearing some Christian thump someone on the head with their dazzling lack of Biblical knowledge in a heated argument. I hate to say it but many times this comes about from new Christians trying to hold fast to their new found faith. The idea is good; the execution of that idea is bad. Or, it commonly comes flying out of the mouth of pompous Christians trying to prove some sort of political or moral point based on a single piece of scripture taken entirely out of context.

I have bore witness to the most ridiculous arguments in the past between two such Christians. The idea of Christians quarreling like that is a completely separate rant. This argument was over whether or not the consumption of any alcohol was sin. One person was throwing out the idea that the body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and we shouldn’t desecrate it with sin water. The other person’s argument was simply stating that Jesus made wine as his first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-11) so it clearly wasn’t wrong. Both foundations of each individual’s arguments are true, so how can both arguments be right? Can both be wrong?

Questions Lead to Questions
Questions like these lead to further questions. In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, how was the word ‘wine’ used? What is Paul’s original context for saying that the body is the Temple of God? All of these questions can be answered with solid knowledge of biblical literacy.

In an effort to further illustrate this idea of the importance of biblical literacy, here’s an interesting thought; the prophecy of Emmanuel was fulfilled for the first time long before the birth of Christ. It is important here to note that the literal interpretation of Emmanuel is ‘God with us.’ The characteristics of the child Emmanuel are described in Isaiah 9:6-7. Traditional Christian beliefs hold that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these descriptions. This is true, of course, so don’t get upset with me, but the first fulfillment happened before Jesus’ birth.

Matthew is the New Testament connection that claims Jesus is the fulfillment, or rather a re-fulfillment of the Emmanuel prophecy. Matthew’s gospel is written for a Jewish audience, knowing this he makes every effort to make sure that the reader has an assurance that Jesus of Nazareth is a sign that ‘God is with us’ (or Emmanuel) and the Messiah. He lets readers know this in Matthew 1:23 and he also quotes the famed passage of Isaiah 7:14 to really drive the point home.

A traditional Jewish audience would view that the prophecy of Emmanuel written in Isaiah would have already been fulfilled. Jewish readers understand the passages in Isaiah literally. The prophecy is therefore, referring to a child born during the reign of king Ahaz. King Ahaz was the initial receiver of the prophecy and does not consider the verses to be connected with the forthcoming Messiah. They would interpret the verse as referring to a son of Isaiah, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, who is called Emmanuel in Isaiah 8. With the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz comes the destruction of Damascus and Samaria, as Isaiah 7 predicts would accompany the birth of Emmanuel.

In this briefest of examples I hope that you will be able to see the importance of knowing the historical and cultural contexts of scripture as well as scriptural connections. It is importance for us not only to know scripture, but also to know its purpose, its authors, its cultures, and its contexts.

Having a grasp of biblical literacy on the topic of Emmanuel not only clues us in as to what the Word is saying, but also alludes to an aspect of the nature of prophecy, in that; a prophecy can be interpreted to be fulfilled more than once. Prophecy is, indeed, a delicate complexity. The Church often uses the prophetic to predict God’s impending doom or set forth a pre-determined course of action for something (or if you have or will ever attend a Bible college you will probably either be dumped or asked out based on a prophecy or leading). These are both true aspects of prophecy; however, it is not the whole of prophecy. A prophecy can still be a true prophecy even if it doesn’t ever occur. We learn this from the story of Jonah. Jonah once released from the whale makes his way to Nineveh and prophecies the city’s impending doom because of how they have been. We see that the city, to the odd discouragement of Jonah, repents and is saved. The gloomy prophecy is not fulfilled. Does that make it less from the Lord? Prophecy, in some cases, can serve as a warning and save people, thus preventing the actual fulfillment.

Let Your Faith Increase
It can be concluded that from a solid biblical literary standpoint that the prophetic doesn’t necessarily have to occur or merely be fulfilled once to be a true prophecy. The stipulation for prophecy is that it is from God. We also see in scripture that people can affect the outcome of prophecy in some instances. That, my friends, is mind-boggling.


Biblical literacy is an exceedingly important foundation of a Bible-believing faith. The next time you decide to sit down and let the Bible answer some questions of faith and life pick up a corresponding commentary and concordance and really have at it. Get lost in the scriptures and let them show you things you have never even thought of before. Let your faith increase!

Free video loop at Igniter Media

:: GALAXY CIRCLES :: Igniter Media Group ::

These video backs are a great way to add tasteful visualization behind song lyrics if you're using Pro Presenter, Media Shout, or Sunday Plus (or others?).

Discipleship / Study Tools - YouVersion.com

YouVersion.com is a an online Holy Bible from LifeChurch.tv. Actually, let me be more specific. It is, in fact, 17 online Holy Bibles. And that's just the English version.

Platform

You can get to YouVersion.com from your web-enabled laptop, PC, Mac, or smartphone. It's a website. There are also mobile apps for various smartphones if you so desire.

Key Features

The reading plans are helpful. There are 31 different plans available. I completed the Gospels in 30 Days plan. It was simple. 89 chapters, a planned 3 chapters a day, and it was over. I managed to complete the plan in 15 days by reading an average of 6 chapters a day. It does let you read ahead. Now I'm working my way through the Psalms. There is also an accountability feature for the reading plans. With this, you can have another member of YouVersion keep you accountable for your reading. I haven't tried this.

From what I can tell, YouVersion does not allow you to create your own reading plan. For example, I would love to go through the Gospels chronologically. This reading plan doesn't exist. It seems that you have to have some pull with the developers to get that going.

You can select from any number of versions, and there is a "Parallel" feature so you can read two versions side by side for comparison. It is helpful for comparing The Message to the NASB, for example. There are no Strong's numbering, so it is not possible to look up the original language and meaning.

Users can "tag" one or more verses and take notes on them. These can be in a private online "journal" or be "community contributions." I haven't found the "contributions" all that helpful, and I turned them off from my display. The contributions I am looking for are from Matthew Henry, Wesley, and their contemporaries. For those, I'm still required to use BibleStudyTools.com.

Overall thoughts

I really like YouVersion, but primarily for the reading plan. Overall I find it very buggy. It logs me out unexpectedly, so it doesn't always save my progress. I stopped using the journal feature because after I would enter something, I would find it hadn't saved because it somehow logged me out.

YouVersion also looks very good-- which will go a long way with getting your smartphone toting students (and leaders) to use it. It's really simple to use.

I think that this would be best for having a searchable and user-friendly Bible on a smartphone, or for a reading plan. The ability to quickly scroll through scripture is fantastic, and something that is missing from other online Bibles. YouVersion has no Strong's numbering, so word studies are out entirely. Beyond that, stick with Google Docs or a notepad for your journaling.

For serious study, find your way to www.BibleStudyTools.com-- it doesn't claim all of the features of YouVersion (not they always work with YouVersion anyway), but it is far more robust. I'm hoping that YouVersion will catch on and add Strong's numbering so that I can really help students learn to look up the original language and understand that intent. In the meantime, maybe its simplicity will increase Bible literacy.

If you don't have a notebook, get one

If you don't have a paper notebook, get one. The benefit of seeing your thoughts written out serve to reinforce those ideas in your memory, as well as give you a place to reference your ideas in the future. Write down your thoughts on ministry, events, and prayers. Write down whatever is on your mind. In the future you can transfer these to a computer note taker so that you can search, or just leave them alone.

Notebook tips:

• Use a small notebook so that it's portable.
• Always have a pen with you too. You can't write without a utensil.
• Date your entries.
• Re-read your entries.
• Don't lose it

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Series

Adam Posegate shared a four-part series on Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary, and the importance of what it is we speak into the lives of those we shepherd.

Part 1: What is Normal?
Part 2: Does our "Normal" Honor God?
Part 3: A Different Type of Relationship
Part 4: Conclusion

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 4

Conclusion

This culture starts with our vocabulary. We must adopt a spiritual vocabulary. We must be in prayer and moving in the Spirit. When we tell someone of a challenge in our lives, we most not omit that we have prayed and what God is telling us and what we learned from scripture as we studied. We must not just give the summary of conclusion, but we must share what God has done in us and to us and for us, because that is our testimony (Acts 4:33, 2 Timothy 1:8).

For me, this started when I was outside of church gatherings. It was with family members. It was with people at work. It meant honoring God in how I talked about my life and the things in my life to others. And this was hard. Strangely, it was just as hard to begin that sort of conversation with those in the church. This is because up until that point, even though we had Christ in common, our conversation topics had focused on music or television or other things. God, as a topic of conversation, was relegated to leadership meetings and prayers, when we really "got down to business."

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 3

A different type of relationship

The relationship we develop with our students must be a spiritual relationship. We reap what we sow. If 100% of our conversations with a person are about sports, then that person will only feel comfortable discussing sports with us. If 100% of our conversations are about fashion, then our discussions will never go beyond the superficial.

The different kind of relationship I am talking about doesn't mean to omit sports, or politics, or news, or the world from conversations. It means that our vocabulary must reflect a new cultural mind set of the Kingdom of God.

It means praying for someone immediately, with your hand on their shoulder, instead of saying, "I'll pray for you," and walking away to remember or forget.

It means talking openly about the good things that Jesus has done in our lives (that's our testimony, friends), instead of commenting on how lucky we are.

It means going beyond saying, "I am blessed," to saying how good God really is.

It means cultivating a culture in your gatherings that is one of love; using the word "love."

It means seeing opportunities to speak truth into peoples' lives and making the most of those opportunities, no matter how small.

It means directing conversations back to things that are God-honoring, and explaining why we do that.

It means we stop talking about "going to church" and we start talking about "being the church."

It means continuing to discuss sin honestly, but also elevating the discussion of God's glory and salvation.

It means making the culture of our gatherings and our relationships founded on scripture and Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit so that we are creating a blatantly different "normal." And it means teaching those things to our leaders. And it means teaching those things to our students so that we have a new culture (which is really an old culture). This culture is spiritual and it is Kingdom-focused.

To be continued...

Free ebook at TheResurgence.com - Grow

This is an FYI:

Over at TheResurgence.com, you can pick up a free PDF copy of "Grow." I haven't read it, so I have no recommendation on it. As always, read with spiritual discernment.

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 2

Is our culture E!, People, and gossip?

If a significant (read: great amount of) of our conversations revolve "entertainment news" or celebrities or even the personal and dating lives of those around us, there's a chance that our "normal" is gossip. Does our "normal" honor God? Are we praying for others as we consider them, or are we talking about everything they do wrong?

Is our culture political, CNN, and Fox News?

If most of our time is spent preaching and teaching moral theism and cultural values, instead of equipping students to be disciples and learn these things from scripture on their own, we may be missing the mark. Getting conservative Christians riled up about politically conservative values is lazy when only done for the sake of preaching to the choir. Rev. Tim Snell once said, "You shouldn't talk about those in elected office in ways that you wouldn't let your own children speak to you." He's right. We cannot make our gatherings a political safe haven for either the left or the right. Chances are, 90% of our students don't really care about politics anyway. We must create a spiritual safe haven and sanctuary-- sacred space that is set apart for worshiping God and learning how to be his disciples.

Is our culture ESPN and SportsCenter?

I once served with a small group leader who would almost exclusively talk sports with his group of guys. Sometimes, to seem relevant, he would also entertain conversation about video games. When I would fill in for him to cover the supporting spiritual materials for that evening's gathering, the kids would comment how they never go over "that stuff." This leader would say that he was doing this under the umbrella of "building relationships." Their normal was sports. In 10 years, sports won't give our students the tools for discipleship that they can only get from scripture. We must love our

students enough to build a different type of relationship.

To be continued...

Adopting a Spiritual Vocabulary - Part 1

Let's talk about talking. Let's talk about your vocabulary. What is "normal" and what is "weird"?

What is normal?

Normal, right now, is to avoid talking about the spiritual, the Holy, and the Godly. It is one that seeks to avoid offense. This "normal" is our culture, and it's missing the mark. We must not be offended on account of Jesus (Luke 7:23). We must boldly and in the power of the Holy Spirit (and not our own power) testify to God's greatness. Our testimony is our story. It is what we relate about who God is to us. If we are ashamed or afraid to tell what God has done, and we use whispers to relay this information, we are not living in God's fullness and freedom. Let me be clear that I am talking to Americans who have freedom of speech, but who fail to take advantage of that.

"Normal" is the language of our culture. So, we must ask ourselves, what is our culture?

To be continued...

Church Relevance article re: Francis Chan

Church Relevance is a resource I use frequently. Check out Kent's notes from a session led by Francis Chan (Crazy Love).

I love the point made to not get distracted by the details (while I say still pay attention to those details). Do not let them distract you from your mission.

What mission has God called your ministry to perform? I'm guessing, as you pray, it has something to do with "making disciples of all nations."

Book Review: My Father, Maker of the Trees, by Eric Irivuzumugabe

Eric is a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. He is a Tutsi, and most of his family, along with over a million others, were murdered in the genocide over the course of 100 days. He has written a book about his experience, but that is not what makes Eric special. What the book conveys is the work of God in him and through him. He is a living example of Christian forgiveness, and he preaches forgiveness and reconciliation and peace.

It is of course moving and emotional. I couldn't make it through the prologue where he listed off the names of his family who had been killed without breaking down. That is not the point. The power of his message is not in his victimhood, but in the proclamation of Christ's love towards those who perpetrated these heinous acts.

Eric documents his journey of living Jesus' command to love one's enemies. He will be blessed for that, and so will those who take this message to heart.

Purchase My Father, Maker of the Trees at Barnes & Noble.

Eric (center) after speaking at The Underground youth gathering in Appleton, Wisconsin.

On Games

"We must make our youth group 'fun' so that kids want to be there! Then, while they're a captive audience, we preach and worship, and then they've experienced God without even realizing it!"

While that may be an over-simplification, if you really think about it, this is not far from the truth of many youth groups. Also, side note: if you know me, you know that "youth group" is practically a dirty word (youth group is who they are, vaguely by age, and not what they do). Say, for example, that your youth gathering is once a week for two hours. That's 2 out of 168 hours (24 hours x 7 days) in the week. For 166 other hours, your students are not at your youth gathering, and they are doing whatever in the world they want during those hours -- we have no direct influence. We need to take full advantage of the time we do have. As their shepherds, we must equip them to be disciples during those other 166 hours (yes, I'm including sleep time, because it's too hard to determine how many hours of sleep a teenager actually gets).

"If we don't have games, kids won't come."
Kids will come to youth gathering for a variety of reasons. They might want to know more about Jesus. They like the music. Their parents force them to. Maybe they even like the games. I am of the viewpoint that "recruiting" doesn't happen because of the games we play, but because of the relationships the have already developed or are developing. I posit that this is the number one "recruiting" method. We must equip our students to develop godly relationships with others, inviting them to youth gathering as prompted by the Holy Spirit. It's not about numbers. 10 students who are learning discipleship will be more effective in the Kingdom than 1,000 students who are merely being entertained.

What I am NOT saying
What I am not saying is that there should be no games, and that there should be no fun. On the contrary, there should be games. There should be fun. These are cultural languages that can speak to a higher truth. Games can support our efforts in ministry. The games should be engaging, and they should have a purpose. Everything you do in ministry should have a purpose. Start with the purpose (right, Rev. Warren?), and then act. The question is what is the purpose of the ministry?

Is the purpose entertainment?

Is the purpose discipleship?

Is entertainment the bait to trick kids into being discipled?

Then, after you have determined what the purpose of your ministry is, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Is this a stupid purpose?
2. Is this scriptural?

If it is stupid and unscriptural (entertainment as bait), then you have a bad purpose.
If it is stupid (foolish) by human standards, but scriptural and God-breathed, then you must do it.
If it is not stupid (foolish), and it is scriptural, then you have a sturdy foundation for proceeding.

What I am saying
"Is there even a good reason to play games?" Absolutely! There are many good reasons (even at your weekly youth gathering), but don't start with an idea and then look for a reason to do it. Start with your reason, and then look for a way to accomplish your goal.

For example, "We have a lot of kids who bring friends and guests, and not everyone knows each others' name. What can we do?" How about an icebreaker game that gets people to interact with everyone. Make a bingo chart with 24 personal items they must ask of the people in the room, then get signatures. That's just an example, but it gets people asking questions and learning about each other.

When God moves in one's life, it is not because they were able to pop the most balloons while blindfolded and dizzy (I don't know if this game actually exists, but it should!). It is because the Holy Spirit is invited to do something real in a person's life. There must be a deliberate approach to student ministry that does not include entertainment as bait. Discipleship must be direct, deliberate, and unapologetic. We are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, who was crucified, died, and resurrected in atonement for the sins of every person. We are preaching a life lived for God and his purpose.

Whatever you choose to do, do it in obedience to God and in the power of his Holy Spirit.

Pacifism according to David

If you read Psalm 18, David is recounting and rejoicing over the victory that God gave him over King Saul. Here we have a Biblical example of pacifism.

He did not go looking for the fight.

He did not incite the war.

But once embattled, he did what was required. He ground his enemies into dust. He cut them down so they would not rise again. He fought for his own life.

How do we reconcile this psalm with Christ's commands to love your enemies, pray for their well-being, and turning the other cheek? There is no greater love than laying down one's life for a brother (or sister). Where does one draw the line? Is there a line? What does scripture tell us?