Children Champs



George Barna wrote this book that I should have read in college. Luckily, I got to see him last Wednesday speak about it. It makes me want to actually read the entire thing because it is about a subject dear to my heart: children.

He became a Christian in his 20's, so he never experienced children's ministry. From his research, he learned that Ministry to children is the single most influential/life changing ministry you can engage in!

A lot of beliefs and habits are set in place by the time a person reaches the age of THIRTEEN!

Never give up on kids! Our development in Christ is a lifelong process.

Barna talked to the senior ministers who were attending. He stated:Why is ministry to adults difficult? We didn't take them seriously when they were young.

Barna said exactly what my favorite quote says (and I just realized that HE was the one who said it!): If you want to have a lasting influence on the world, you must invest in people's lives; and if you want to maximize that investment, then you must invest in those people while they are young.

Fear and Hope

I promised the second part of my campference update... so here it is!

I have only been in paid ministry since 2008 (seems like a long time... and yet only a brief moment at other times) and it was so good to hear someone address fears. Tic Long has 30+ years of experience in ministry. I have heard about him through his work at YS, but it was truly a pleasure hearing his heart.

Fear of the world as it is today (culture)
Kids are looking for authentic adults who truly care about them.

Fear of failing
All of us who appear to have it together have a trail of disasters behind us. We just don't talk about it.

Fear that you are not good enough.
If I were God, I wouldn't use me. No freaking way.
Peter -- patron saint of youth workers. haha...
It's a lie from Satan if you feel like you're disqualified because of your past. Your past pain will be a bridge to another student's healing.
Youth ministry is more about serving than skills; listening than talking; caring instead of charisma; being there instead of being cool.
God has shaped your heart for middle school kids.

Fear that God is disappointed in you
He's not.
Tic told a story about going to visit Henri Nouwen at L'Arche. He learned that Even if you couldn't DO anything for God, God loves you.
Everything we do in ministry has no effect on God's love for us. As ministers, it is easy to go from thinking of yourself as God's child to employee.

As you can probably tell, the fear of not being good enough connected with me the most.

Marko talked about HOPE, a topic I have wanted to do a word study on for a couple of years now.

Hope is a gift that comes to us in our struggling.
Healthy Discontentment is a prerequisite for hope.
Hope patterns: exile --> dissatisfaction --> honesty --> FEAR (what if God doesn't show up?) --> Longing & Hope

Don't worry, be happy is seriously crappy theology.
Our hope is found in Jesus.

We ended the time by singing On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand. That song got me through the toughest summer of my life and is a good reminder of who to put our HOPE in.

One of the best blessings from this weekend was meeting Melissa. She is a middle school minister and was a constant source of encouragement. Truly loved getting to know her... already looking forward to next year! October 11-13, 2013... MARK IT ON YOUR CALENDARS NOW!

MS Campference

Spring Hill in Seymour, IN was the perfect setting for the last weekend of October. A place to reflect on life and enjoy the beauty of God's creation: both in nature and in people.

Thank God I had my GPS though because I got there an hour after it started (due to asthma crap before I started on my roadtrip) and would not have been able to find it in the dark with those winding hillside roads. Makes me miss living in KY a little bit.

I was challenged in a lot of ways... from mealtime conversations with a group of girls who came by themselves (like me) to the main session speakers to the breakout groups. Every person I met had their own story about ministry challenges and successes. I even reconnected with a couple guys that went to KCU with me. I never expect to see people from college being so far north...

As an introvert, I appreciated the more intimate setting. There were 100 people, so it really did feel like a weekend retreat at a camp with new friends. The youth ministry veterans did not make us feel inferior but rather ate meals with us and were genuinely interested in our experiences in ministry. It was unlike any other conference I have ever been to. I loved it. Josh Griffin sums up well what happens at youth ministry conferences and Marko hits on what made MSMC special. For me, it was a time of reflecting, refreshing, healing, and just resting. It was much needed after this summer's crazy schedule.

Highlights:
*Mark Dowds: Bitterness will be like a cancer. You will become the opposite of what you are today if you do not take care of it today. It will rob you from the life/ministry God wants you to have.

*Meeting Brooklyn Lindsey and Katie Edwards. Yea women in ministry! Both have written (or helped to write) books.

From the Rants:
*Brooklyn Lindsey: Crocs aren't from God.

*Brooklyn Lindsey: You rob us of a part of God's image if you are not yourself. God needs your uniqueness to minister to students.

*Adam McLane: Repent of desire to build ministries based on staff/facilities... It needs the Holy Spirit. He talked about decentralizing student ministers' roles...

*Scott Rubin: Not having someone who knows my secret world could wreck my ministry by next year. Sadly, I've seen this happen to a friend in ministry... Check out Scott's post on this topic. 

Since this is becoming a novel, part 2 will be Tic and Marko's messages...

STYX

This morning as I was listening to STYX on my ipod, I realized I never shared the awesomeness of my time with Laura around Piqua and at the STYX concert. On Laura's birthday, we went out to eat to one of the best Mexican restaurants ever: La Fiesta!

I had some good laughs...

Saturday night fun... Too bad I don't live closer; otherwise I would be there for Chicago too!

We bought glow STYX and listened to a guy blare (and sing along to) Nickelback. 

Kind of a psycho picture below, but we attempted several more pics and the STYX background wouldn't show up! Super great concert, though!

STYX got me through my post-college time of unemployment/living with my parents. Super great music and I want to see them again ASAP! 

Here's a song I listened to on the way to vote at the library.

Man in the Wilderness::STYX

Side note: while you may think this post about STYX has nothing to do with making Christ known, I truly believe God gave these musicians incredible talent. They could sing the same high notes they did back in the day... they would give any band these days a run for their money in actual musical talent.