360° Prep For Summer Camp

Summer Camp has become such a traditional event, that it can actually lose it’s intentionality, which is a huge pitfall of annual events. Sometimes, we youth pastors forget the true purpose behind it. So here are a couple thoughts that I scratched down, as they relate to our roles that we play in youth ministry. I’m no expert, but these are the principles I’ll push to implement as we walk through our summer camp season.

YOU’RE A PASTOR…

1. Pray. A youth event absent of prayer is a hang-out. And hang-outs are great. But I’m guessing that’s not what you’re after. Jerry Falwell used to say something that sunk deep into my soul; “Nothing of eternal significance is ever accomplished apart from prayer.”

2. Guide. There are going to be a lot of thoughts, questions, and insights that arise from sermons, small groups, and share times. It helps to remember that those insights must be re-aligned with Scripture. It’s exciting to hear what God is doing in our students’ hearts, but let’s remember that they don’t come stock with Biblical filters.

3. Resource for Post-Camp Growth. The experience of summer camp has a lot to do with focus. In other words, if you get students thinking about Jesus and life for a week, paired with daily worship services, the Spirit is going to do a lot of work! It would be a tragedy for us to forget that we need to resource them for when they come back.

YOU’RE A FRIEND…

1. Be present. Now’s the time for you to be 100% available. You can’t always have time for them throughout the week. You have to return emails and phone calls, field questions from parents, meet with staff at the church, study, plan and prepare for sermons. This is not the time to do any of those things. Put the books down. The only voicemails you need to check are those that are camp-related. This time is set aside for you to be with your students. Be with them.

2. Ask good questions. This piggy-backs off of “guiding them” (as a pastor). Jesus often asked questions to help provide clarity for the answers (after all, He’s Jesus. He knows the answer). But your ability to ask good questions is only as effective as your ability to listen. Listen to their stories. Read between the lines. Get down to what’s going on inside their hearts.

3. Have fun! Mix it up. Get involved at rec. Do something stupid. Crack jokes with them. Sit at dinner with them and just be a normal person recounting the day. Get out of the green room and get in the crowd! Of all the pastoral duties you have, having fun with them will help you the most in relating to them. And when it’s time to talk about life at night after the service, that laugh you shared at lunch goes along way.

YOU’RE A HELPER TO PARENTS…

1. Connect them to what happened at camp. The parents want to know what happens. My guess is that you don’t have time to sit down and talk to every parent one-on-one. Find some multiplicative ways to communicate what happened. Write it up in a letter. Type of a blog post. Have a post-camp, story-sharing service. Do what you have to do to share what happened! Don’t let it end on the bus trip home! The camp that we go to actually live streams all their services online. This is brilliant and is a huge plus for attending their camp!

2. Give parents the tools to continue the work at home. This might be a Bible-reading plan or a prayer guide. It might be the notes that they covered in the sessions. It might even be something as simple as helping them understand the need to pray for/with their child. Whatever it is, resource them.

3. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. The worst thing you can do is not clue the parents in on what happened and what to expect. If you want it to stick, they need to know what comes after the decisions they made!

I posted an entire blog post specifically about prepping parents for the students that would come back from camp a few years back. Check it outhere.

YOU’RE A STRATEGIC DIRECTOR…

1. Plan group events shortly after camp. I’ve found that the best way to build momentum into the camp fellowship that happens is to continue it back home. Create reasons to meet together. They can be purposeful and/or simply fun. Whatever you do, keep that koinoniahappening!

2. Connect your students to mission when they get back. You know it, because you’ve been there. Sitting on a spiritual high leads to being spiritually fat. If your students don’t get connected to the mission of God when they get home (getting their hands dirty), you’ll lose the momentum of what God is doing! Don’t let it just be head knowledge!

3. Let your camp experience inform/dictate some of your planning for the following school year. I like to plan ahead, but there are some things that have to happen first. Summer camp is one of those things. It might be a running theme through the teaching or through the testimonies. It might be a song that was caught during the worship sessions. Pay attention to those things. They’re like little time machines that can help refresh us.

THE STUDENT MINISTRY IS A PART OF “BIG CHURCH”…

1. Get the stories to the rest of the congregation. Have a time to share testimonies. I love it when pastors invite students to share their stories. Personally, we try to capture as much video as possible during these trips. The videos work great in services and are super easy to share online. It’s not just about sharing what happened, though. It’s even more about the clarity that comes from hearing what God is doing in other peoples’ lives. Stories are game-changers!

2. Thank those who invested. Maybe you had some volunteers take their precious vacation days at work to go on this trip. Thank them! Maybe some church members were moved to pay for a student that couldn’t afford to go. Thank them! Thank your senior pastor for allowing you to take the kids on the trip. Thank the finance team for letting you use more money than you budgeted. Thank the senior adults for letting you use their bus. Thank the kids ministry for the supplies. Thank the prayer warriors. Thank the parents for trusting you with their students.An attitude of gratitude goes a long way!

3. Offer to help other ministries in your church with their big projects. Youth ministries have a history of getting crapped on, but I’m sick and tired of youth pastors feeling entitled to being given everything, especially when they aren’t willing to serve in other ministries of the church. If someone made a deposit into your account by serving in your youth ministry, try to find a way to serve in theirs. Unity is hard, but it must be fought for.

What did I miss? What are some post-camp strategies you employ?

7 Books To Check Out [July 2013]

These are a few of the books that I highly recommend reading.They’re listed alphabetically by the author, not by their level of impact on me. Most of these are old reads that I highly recommend to anyone in any field (and that I come back to re-read frequently).

1. “First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman // This book begins a series of thought-provoking books on work, and how you spend your time there, especially if you’re in a leadership position. Marcus revolutionized my thinking about time management and about staying in my strengths, as it relates to what I spend my time on. This book is perfect for anyone who wonders why they never accomplish their goals in their work life.

2. “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell // If you’ve ever read a Gladwell book before, you know how brilliant he is. His research is eye-opening, and the results are so insightful. In Outliers, he lays out his thoughts on successful people and how they get there. Some of the research will surprise you! Phenomenal book!

3. “Courageous Leadership” by Bill Hybels // This is a Top 5 Book for me (as in Top 5 of all time). I dove into this book at a very instrumental transition in my life and I couldn’t put it down. This is chock full of good, practical leadership wisdom. Church leaders, you’ll wear a couple highlighters out on this one. This is absolutely one of my favorite books.

4. “Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys To Creativity” by Hugh MacLeod // This is such a great book for creatives. What’s beautiful is that it’s not all business. There’s lots of humor throughout. You learn a little about Hugh, who writes at www.gapingvoid.com. He got his start by doodling on the back of napkins at bars. He would illustrate insightful thoughts and funny ideas. This book is coming from a “secular” point-of-view, so if a little language bothers you, you probably shouldn’t pick this one up. Just a fair warning!

5. “More Or Less” by Jeff Shinabarger // This is actually the one book on this list that I’ve read recently. I heard Jeff talk about taking his family away to live in Nicaragua for 3 months, and I was immediately intrigued at the rest of the story. This book speaks to the ideas of excessive living, generosity and the juxtaposition of abundance and need. I feel like Jeff has really hit on something that I’ve been thinking about for a little while now. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it! Don’t pick it up if you’re not ready to act, though! There are around 50 challenges throughout the book!

6. “Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough” by Elmer Towns // This is obviously a specifically niched book, but it’s the best book I’ve read on the topic of fasting. Not to mention, my connection to Elmer (as a graduate of Liberty University) hit home for me. I’ve seen and heard this man in person, and appreciate his teaching greatly. You may never read about him on Twitter, but he is a faithful man of God! As Christians, we’re called to fast, and if you need help getting started, look no further.

7. “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer // This is definitely a Christian classic! It might take you a little while to get used to his language, as this was published in 1948! Make no mistake, though; this should be on every Christian’s bookshelf! Plus, it’s on Amazon for free as the Kindle version right now!

If you’re looking for specific recommendations, I’d love to be of service to you. Shoot me an email!

Tanner's Story

Tanner is one of our students. His last name is Engledowl. One day, one of his friends called him, “Pringle Dog.” It stuck, so that’s what we call him. We love him to death!

Tanner gave his life to Jesus back in April and came up to tell me about it (he talks a bit about that night in his testimony). Ever since, he was anxious to share his story with the crew. So, last Wednesday night, we shared his powerful story.

Here it is! (If you think this video would help people in your group, feel free to download it!).

The Intangibles Make All The Difference

Every summer, our whole church rallies around our kids and youth ministry events for big events. As our student pastor, I volunteer to lead the 6th graders. This is so instrumental in my relationship with them, as they’ll enter our student ministry the following fall. Every year, I see our volunteer base grow; and not only that, I see the vision get clearer and clearer.

Our kids deserve our full attention and service. They’re worth the investment!

This year, I was especially blessed by the amount of servant leaders I was able to work with. The energy was electric, the volunteers had hearts of gold, and the kids had an absolute blast.

And that’s what makes the difference.

I saw a group of grown-up, board meeting type of adults get absolutely goofy with these kids. I saw a grown man wear war paint and lead his group of guys in a chant. It was nothing short of Braveheart for Kids. And I loved it!

Because the intangibles make the difference.

Budget doesn’t matter.
Games don’t matter.
I hate to say it, but the Bible lesson isn’t even the game-changer.

It’s the heartfelt, humbly submissive effort of servant leaders who make these kinds of events a huge success. Even moreso, it’s those leaders who make our kids and youth ministries a success. There are so many elements to making our ministries a success, but the one element that converts it into a home run is the investment by loving, caring, on-mission adults.

 1. This breeds a servant culture. You should see the faces of the parents who are merely dropping their kids off. It is obvious that something is happening here. And people want to be a part of something bigger.

2. This communicates what is important to us. I’ve seen what happens when church politics go wrong. I’ve been in churches that pacify kids and students. There is no mistaking what is on our hearts. We love and serve our kids and students! Everything we do is aligned around the focus of making sure they are entering into quality environments. This is brilliant, by the way. Guess who also cares about those kids? Their parents.

3. The vision is clarified. If you visit our church, it won’t take you very long to realize what we’re all about. You’re going to get recruited to serve. Be ready. The beauty of this is that we grow when we serve. The adults are just as blessed as the kids are. And don’t think you can just show up. There has to be a new metric for some of us. Warm bodies are not the win. Begrudging, irritable volunteers are not the win.

I’ve seen what happens when an entire church gets behind the vision of the kids ministry. But this only happens when servant leaders show up physically, mentally, humbly, and energetically. When everyone goes the extra mile, the event doesn’t just go well; it wins.

I love my church!

A Tribute To My Dad

My dad is a hero.

It’s funny. We think our dads are real life super heroes when we’re little. Then, as we grow older, we start to notice some of the human traits. The mess-ups and imperfections are there. And that’s ok.

But then, as I grow even older, I have found myself to believe again.

That my dad is a legit hero. That he was one of the few men who was consistently a good dad. He spent time with us. He loved us well. My sister and I never had a question that we were the most important kids on the planet.

Funny how that works. Hero. Normal. Hero.

It should be said that my mom was a pretty phenomenal mom as well. They were both whole-heartedly committed to raising us two kids.

Now, as a dad, I realize that what my dad did required an immense amount of focus, patience, and strength. Being a dad isn’t easy. Not by a long shot.

A while back, I was asked by Steve Rouse, one of the pastors at my home church, Emmanuel Church of Greenwood, to share a quick story about how my dad has impacted me. While there were many good examples, I couldn’t help but think of how my dad always came home and immediately played us. I was thankful that Steve shared my story. Here it is.

The Day I Told My Students To Fire Me

No gimmicks here. I told them they should fire me.

Practically, what this is all about is spreading out the leadership. In fact, this is one of the principles that Andy Stanley lays out in “7 Practices Of Effective Ministry.” It’s called, “replace yourself.” You should read that book ASAP!

What’s so funny about this is that the perception of “spreading out the leadership” can be misconstrued as lazily wanting other people to do your job. After all, the most common question youth pastors are asked is, “What do you do all week?”

So what do you do all week?

Seriously. Have you ever made a list? Because I made a list. And it’s long. I’ll spare you the self-gratifying look at that list (you’re welcome).

So here’s why I’m writing this:

There’s a really good chance that we’re mentoring our students to expect everything to be done for them. I hope you heard me clearly; it’s not their fault. It’s ours. It is the calling of the pastor to disciple people to follow Jesus and to raise up leaders to take over the leadership of the church.Here’s what I’m learning in this realm.

1. You’re probably doing things that you shouldn’t be doing. By that, I mean that there are things that you were created to do. You should be spending the majority of your time in these areas, to increase your effectiveness. To be certain, there are things about your role that aren’t fun. I’m not advocating that you shirk your responsibilities. I’m implying that we need to work smart.

2. You’re holding back your ministry because you’re not delegating well. For a guy who doesn’t delegate well, this one is tough. A couple practical elements here. Don’t spend time doing things that are in your “weakness” column. There are people who do things better than you do; which means that you’re holding people back, by not giving them a chance to operate within their spiritual gifting. And isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing?

3. You’re limiting the future of your ministry when you don’t raise up leaders. This is as practical as it gets, but we, as ministers, somehow miss this one. None of us will be around forever. Let us not repeat the mistakes of Joshua, who experienced a successful reign, but died without passing the baton to a capable leader (Judges happens next and it’s not pretty).

4. If there’s an emergency and you can’t make it, do you freak out knowing that there are things only you know how to do? If you can’t be gone, something’s wrong. Remember, the success of a leader is not that you do a bunch of cool stuff for the church. It’s about raising up leaders. If you can’t step out at a moment’s notice, you haven’t raised up leaders. I would suggest that needs to be at the top of your to do list!

5. If you’re feeling the tension of not having enough time to get everything done, maybe you’re doing too much. Bill Hybels wrote a book called, “Too Busy NOT To Pray.” The same principle is at work here. I know what it’s like to get to the end of your day, only to look at a to do list that still has a lot of items that haven’t been touched. It will take a lot of your time, but if you make the investment into investing into people, so that they can use their spiritual gifts to bless the church, those hours will pay for themselves. I promise you. It’s a hefty investment in the beginning, but you’ll be teaching people how to lead well, allowing people to thrive in their gifting, and freeing up your time in the future.

6. If you made a list of everything that you do (I mean everything), I bet you’d throw up. There are things on that list that require no brain space, but they do require time. Why on earth would you spend your precious hours doing things that aren’t in your wheelhouse? There are opportunities for leadership in your church that people would thrive in. Even moreso, these opportunities may very well drain you. This isn’t rocket science, folks.

7. If you made a list of everything that you do, I bet your people would say things like, “Wow! I didn’t realize how much goes into planning services!” This means there’s a total lack of unbalance. As long as your people are in the dark as to how ministry happens, they won’t show up to help. Here’s a hint: The majority of people in your ministry don’t perceive that ministry is hard work. Bring trusted people alongside you. Chances are, you’ll hear this: “Wow! I didn’t realize how much goes into planning services!”

8. Job security isn’t in hogging all the leadership; it’s in raising up leaders to take over major leadership roles in the church. If that seems counter-intuitive, that’s normal. But it’s true. That’s what church is supposed to be all about.

9. Transitioning to this style of leadership isn’t easy. That’s why most people never do it. It’s extremely time-consuming and energy-depleting. But it’s an investment that pays Kingdom dividends. You

10. Stop saying you’re too busy to raise up leaders. If you are content with doing everything yourself, please read your Bible. You’re too busy NOT to raise up leaders.

Let us not forget the admonition from Acts 6. the apostles were perceptive enough to know when they needed to raise up leaders in the areas that were not their strengths (or even main responsibilities for that matter). They got distracted. Feelings got hurt. And they found people who could help them. Problem solved.

But no. It’s so much more than that. Pay attention to one of the characters we meet in Acts 6. We are introduced to Stephen, who is always described by being, “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” We would later see him preach one of the strongest messages in the entire Bible (Acts 7). So if you think “serving the widows” isn’t a big deal, think again.

Tonight, our students are officially taking over and I couldn’t be more excited! They have done everything from sermon prep, to vacuuming, to picking up supplies, shooting video illustrations, setting up chairs, and even taking out the trash. Simply put, every single thing that will happen tonight, will be a result of their hard work. I can’t wait to show you how it goes! I am so proud of our brilliant students!

[Recommended Reading: First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham // For those of you who are in ministry and hate business books, put that aside for a second. In this series of books, Marcus simply advocates that we work smart. I would recommend these books to any pastor, as a means of learning how to work smart, and how to apply practical steps to bringing people alongside us to assist us in the tasks of ministry]

7 Books To Check Out [June 2013]

If you’re a reader and you’re looking for new books to check out, here are a few that I’m really into lately (these will almost always fall in the areas of Christianity, religion, church leadership and business).

What’s ironic about these lists is that everyone has their own preferred style of literature. Even more so, if you don’t work in the same field as me, you might not drift toward a good number of the books I’ll recommend. Here they are nonetheless.

1. Circle Maker by Mark Batterson // A great book exploring the importance of bold prayers. This book, the principles and the stories, helped shed light on what was missing in my life.

2. Multiply by Francis Chan and Mark Beuving // Francis Chan outlines the biblical discipleship mandate and how we can explore different possibilities in achieving it.

3. Coffeehouse Compatibilism by David Lahm // This might be off your radar, but it’s a very interesting read, featuring a “would-be” fictional dialogue between John Calvin, John Wesley, and B.F. Skinner exploring the age-old debate between free will and determinism. The dialogue really makes for some interesting reading, and also brings the ideas to light in a more practical sense.

4. Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick // The leader of the Catalyst movement finally wrote a book that explores the very principles that Catalyst. What happens when the head of a leadership movement writes a leadership book on the insights he’s picked up? Pure gold.

5. In The Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen // This was such a refreshing book exploring the heart of a Christian leader. Henri begins the book explaining his time in a specific ministry setting that really sets the book up. I won’t spoil it. Pick up a copy!

6. Post-Black & Post-White Church by Efrem Smith // Efrem is one of the leading voices in the diversity conversation and I really like what he has to say. Especially if you’re in the south, this is a conversation that needs to happen!

7. Deep And Wide by Andy Stanley // I would say that I saved the best for last, but I alphabetized them by last name (but this was the best book I’ve read in the last few years)! In Deep and Wide, Andy tells stories of his upbringing as a [famous] pastor’s kid. He also explains the setting for the launch of North Point. Then, in true Andy Stanley fashion, he brings the insights in perfectly-crafted power phrases. I went through two highlighters in this book and am already trying to re-read it. This is in my top 5 easily.

3 Pitfalls Of Teaching Pastors

A few years ago, I recorded a video submission [5 minutes] for an online conference called The Nines, which was put on by Leadership Network. Unfortunately, my submission wasn’t accepted, but this material is near and dear to my heart. So I thought I would share this in the hopes that it will help those of you who have the honor of teaching/preaching on a regular basis.

Also, I wrote about the pitfall of a teaching pastor a while back. Hope this helps you in some way today!

Gut-Check Questions For Youth Pastors

It’s Wednesday.
A lot you youth pastors are going to see students tonight.
You’ve been planning what to say and what to do.
Depending on your leadership style, you might actually have a plan.
Or you might be totally freaking out right now.

Whatever the case, I have a question to ask you:

Years from now, after your current students are married with kids, jobs, mortgages, car payments, and all the stress that comes with life…Who will they be pouring into?

Maybe a better question is this: Who is pouring into them right now?

And can we be honest for just one moment? Small groups don’t count. In the inner recesses of your brain, when you’re really honest with yourself, you know that you can’t call that 45-minute time slot each week “discipleship.”

I’m talking about the one-on-one, life-on-life, emptying all that is inside you into a student.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Scripture that means the most to you. The Scripture you’re still wrestling with.
The stories. The wins. The losses.
The call to “teach them to observe what I have commanded you.” Make disciples.

Let me ask it again: Who are you pouring your life into?

The cool thing about discipleship is this: it makes an exponential impact. If you pour into them, they’ll pour into students later. Disciples are not disciples unless they make disciples.

Challenge: Pray and ask God to reveal just one student that He wants you to begin a discipleship relationship with. Commit to pour into that student on a regular basis (once a week would be a fantastic start) for two years.

If that freaks you out, I just hope that you’re involved in something else that Jesus commanded. I hope that the stuff that is taking up your precious hours is more important than making disciples.

A couple follow-up questions to put some wheels on this conversation:

1.What do you want to be able to say about your students by the time they graduate? That they had good attendance at all your worship services? Or that they actively participated in their faith? These should help to focus and align your programs, systems and practices.

2. Does your student ministry have a discipleship (notleadership) pipeline? In other words, what do your systems look like? Your systems tell your students what you think is important. So what are the next steps that students take ifthey are “all-in”?

3. What are the big changes that you’ll need to accomplish in order to fix what’s wrong with your systems? We can’t move into the future unless we identify our obstacles. HINT: “Not having enough budget” is not an appropriate answer here.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 6

It hasn’t been easy studying this book. In fact, it’s been downright gut-wrenching.

It’s not easy to come face-to-face with your sin, especially when you are a “professional Christian” (pastor).

Layered deep beneath the surface, though, is the realization that this sin tells a story of what’s going on in our hearts.

Jesus spoke about this concept by using the illustration of a tree that bears fruit. Simply put, you know that kind of tree you’re looking at, based on its fruit. Apple trees grow apples; not oranges.

Jesus would go on to say that you know people by their spiritual fruit; whether they are sowing to the spirit or to the flesh. He spoke about sheep in wolves’ clothing; someone that had “the look” down, but inside, their heart is rotten (Matthew 23:25).

If you read the Book of Hosea, you’ll definitely come to grips with how you’ve turned your back on God in practical ways. However, you can go down the wrong path easily here. This is the thrust of the message of Hosea. We can get everything right on the outside, and the inside can still be rotten.

And that’s the point: Our temptation is all too often to run to clean up our checklist. We’re more worried about the external stuff (our words/actions/etc) than we are the internal stuff (what’s going on inside our heart).

If this issue has been a complex one for you, let me attempt to simplify it:
What happens in your heart echoes in your actions (Good heart, good fruit).

Merely “cleaning up your act” is the wrong course of action. GOD IS AFTER YOUR HEART! Maybe it would help to think of your relationship with God in more…relational terms. He refers to you as His bride. That makes God your Husband. It may be odd for us guys to think of God in those terms, but the image is there. And marriages don’t thrive in purely nominal forms; there must be passionate pursuit of the other as well as a continued desire to ‘be last.’ It is in those terms that the following quote brings such clarity to what God wants for us.

“Love God warmly as your Husband. Don’t just serve Him dutifully as your Lord.”

– John Piper

This is not just about what you do and don’t do. This has everything to do with your intimacy with a God who gave up His son to buy you back, even when you were turning your back on Him. This is all about an infinitely perfect God Who passionately desires that you would passionately desire Him!

Go after Him today. The fruit is simply a natural outgrowth of your intimacy with Him.

Check out Part 6 of “The Hosea Love Story” by Irving Bible.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 5

One of the most important elements of this story is the theme of significance. More specifically, its what (or who) we find our significance in.

Gomer is the poster child for people who find their significance in something other than God. What’s most scary about this story is the setting mirrors ours in America in 2013. For the most part, we’re a successful nation with plenty of resources. To a degree, we’ve become complacent in the midst of our success.

We wouldn’t ever say it, but our actions reflect our beliefs.

We don’t need you, God.
We can take care of ourselves.
We can provide for ourselves.
We don’t even really need rescuing.
Because nothing is wrong here.
Thanks God, but we’ve got it.

We have taken the gifts that God has given us and used them for our own selfish purposes. We have taken the resources that He has given us and built monuments to ourselves. We have used the talents He has given us for worldly pursuits. We have used the bodies He has stewarded us with for our own selfish pleasures.

We’re not too far away from the mistake that Gomer made. And God’s response is clear:

“And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal. Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts.And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages, which my lovers have given me. I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them.”

Hosea 2:8-12

These are sobering words from our God. Let us not misuse what God has given us.

Even moreso, let us not, like Gomer, look to human efforts to fulfill a God-given desire for divine intimacy. He has created us to have a relationship with Him; to know Him.

So, really…what are you finding your significance in?
Status?
Your grades?
Money?
The car you drive?
Power?
Your kid’s success?
How many people retweet you?
The way he looks at you?
Your hobby?
Popularity?
Gadgets?
That promotion you’re after?
Clothes?
Church attendance?

Let’s remember that Jesus is the only One worthy of our worship. We tend to drift away from this, but if we pay close attention, we might find ourselves worshipping the temporal things of this world.

Check out Part 5 of “The Hosea Love Story” by Irving Bible.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 4

The Lord purchased us.

In 2013, we learn this, most likely, in the New Testament first. We are taught verses such as the following.

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This must be, without a doubt, one of the most gut-wrenching elements that God endures: watching his children continually turn to worldly pleasures in this life, when all along, he paid for them.

We know that Jesus would pay the ultimate price for humanity, in dying on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins as the perfect sacrifice.

We also see the scope of Hosea’s love for Gomer, in that he paid to get her back. Not only did he pay for her, but it says that he had to pay in currency as well as possessions to make up the price.

“And the LORD said to me, ‘Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.’ So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley.”

Hosea 3:1-3

The picture is clear: God loves you so much that He will BUY YOU BACK! You might even say that this is not a huge task. After all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). But God did not merely pay a debt; He paid OUR debt with HIS Son. I’m sad to say that I don’t think I would ever pay this price for someone; especially someone who would turn their back on me repeatedly.

This is the love of God; unfathomable and precious. But it doesn’t stop there.

As a Christ-follower, I am called into a life of this sort of self-sacrificing love. This love has been given to me, and I am stewarded with reflecting this same love to others; even, and especially, my enemies. This is why the narrow path is really that narrow. Paul speaks to this to the Romans and the Corinthians. He shows us that Jesus exemplifies the kind of love that dies for its enemies (Romans 5:7). He speaks to the fact that, because we have received this love, we are to be ministers of it (1 Corinthians 5:11-21)!

Jesus sums it up perfectly in the following verse:

“Freely you’ve received; now freely give.” - Matthew 10:8b

Check out Part 4 of “The Hosea Love Story” by Irving Bible.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 3

It’s entirely possible for God to let you run into trouble. It happened all the time in Scripture. I think of Noah, who was laughed at for decades as he built the ark. I think of Abraham, who faced the decision of sacrificing his own son. I think of Moses, who had to lead a group of people who couldn’t seem to remember how good God had been to them. I think of the Judges period, in which the nation of Israel flat out didn’t get it. Repeatedly.

What’s interesting about these cases is that none of them are the same. They weren’t all disobedient. Shoot. Look at Job. He was simply obedient and all Hell broke loose in his life!

The only common denominator in these cases are that God had a plan and was drawing men to Himself by that plan. Maybe the only other common denominator is that none of these plans were easy.

Hosea’s story is no different. Gomer, his unfaithful wife, must have pushed him to his limits. I’m sure there were times that Hosea sat in his bed and pondered whether or not he had the capacity to continue in compassionate pursuit of her.

What I love about this story is that it is a testament to the difficulty of a life lived for God.

There is community in this (Hebrews 12:1-2). When I look around at the spiritual heroes in my life, I rarely take their hardships into consideration. For the most part, I am continually reflecting on their heart for God and their impact in peoples’ life.

I forget that God had them on a path for years, shaping them. I forget that he was molding them, using these events in their life to invite them into greater opportunities.

I forget that God has stretched me using seasons of struggle.

Let us not shake our fists at God when we encounter hardship. Let us not forget that His discipline is to be welcomed, because it is good (Hebrews 12:6). It is like the exercise of our souls, pushing us to a healthy place at which we will be able to encounter God at a new level.

““Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me. Gilead is a city of evildoers, tracked with blood. As robbers lie in wait for a man, so the priests band together; they murder on the way to Shechem; they commit villainy. In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim’s whoredom is there; Israel is defiled.

For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed,
    when I restore the fortunes of my people.

Hosea 6 (emphasis mine)

The example of Hosea is clear: God will keep us through our struggles.Perry Noble has said something that has brought clarity to this in the past as well. He says, “If God brought you to it, then He’ll bring you through it.”

Check out Part 3 of “The Hosea Love Story” by Irving Bible.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 2

When you encounter tough passages in the Bible, it can hit you impact you in different ways. In some cases, this is why a lot of my non-Christian friends end up that way. They perceive a false dichotomy between the angry God of the Old Testament and the gracious God of the New Testament.

It’s also entirely possible to wrongly perceive that there are contradictions in the Bible; in which the Bible might command one thing in one place and command an opposite thing in another place. At any rate, these perceptions can be tough to reconcile…until you begin to pursue God’s heart for them.

The Book of Hosea begins with one of these apparent contradictions. God commands Hosea to marry a whore. In other portions of Scripture (Proverbs 5, for example), there is an explicit warning to stay away from women like this. While Proverbs may be using figurative language for anything that would lead you away from God, I believe there are specific, literal interpretations to passages like this.

“My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless…”

Proverbs 5:1-9

The warnings in this Proverb are clear. And I would bet that Hosea was well-acquainted with these exhortations. It must have been hard for Hosea to follow through with this, but I imagine He knew God’s heart in this situation. And that is simply this: God wants so dearly to have His people back. He is relentlessly pursuing them and they need an intimate portrait of how deeply He loves them. What a story!

So what’s the point of all this? Let’s begin this week’s study with Hosea’s response to God’s plan.

1. OBEDIENCE: We don’t have record of Hosea arguing with God. He simply obeyed. And this wasn’t a simple task. This was a lifelong, close-to-home command. I know that Hosea probably learned a lot about God’s heart in this situation, but it doesn’t mean it was without pain. Radical obedience counts the cost, but always trusts in God to deliver.

2. COMMITMENT: Hosea wasn’t just asked to give an illustration, he was asked to BE the illustration. There is no question of Hosea’s commitment to God at this point. This speaks to the participatory nature of the Gospel. There is no such thing as a servant of God merely being asked to communicate truth. We are called to LIVE the truth. It’s only at that point that we communicate truth out of the overflow of living it.

3. SURRENDER: In all practicality, Hosea gave up the rest of his life to obey this command. I don’t know a single soul that is that committed and self-sacrificing; to marry someone who will consistently turn their back on their spouse, only to return to open arms.

I don’t know where you are today, but I can say this with full assurance to the Christ-followers in the crowd. If God has saved you, He is calling you to live a life of sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2). Full devotion to God is sacrificing your own life to pursue the calling He has on your life.

This is my prayer today: “Lord, help me to be so radically obedient, committed, and surrendered to You today. Show me areas in my life that need these elements. Help me to see areas in which I need to LIVE the Scripture, and not just read it.”

Check out Part 2 of The Hosea Love Story that Irving Bible put together.

Hosea Chronicles: Part 1

This morning, we spent some time in Hosea, contrasting the faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of His people. It has been a humbling process studying the first few chapters in Hosea, as God calls him to marry a whore. In essence God was asking Hosea to speak to a generation using his own life as an illustration. This may have been the toughest assignment any prophet has ever been given.

Inherent in the message is this:

“Go show them what it’s like to be married to an unfaithful woman; a woman that will undoubtedly scar you. Pursue her. Show the people of Israel this picture.”

As I studied, I found myself wishing there was a way to expand on what is happening in this short book. There is so much more than just the surface-level story about a man and a prostitute.

So, this week, we’ll dive in a bit deeper. We’ll explore the different facets of the story, as well as how those facets apply to our context today. As for today’s post, we’ll re-hash where we were today.

We learned that this story shows us that:

1. God desperately wants us to return to Him.

2. There is a strong potential for us to misuse God’s gifts.

3. God’s love reaches to the ends of the earth for His people.

4. God’s passionate desire for us is to passionately desire Him!

I hope you’ll come back this week, as we’ll dive a little deeper into this story. To wrap today’s post up, I thought I’d share the video that introduced today’s message. Irving Bible created this video, as well as five others. Each day this week, we’ll hit a new portion of this text, and I will post a new video for that day. Big props to Irving Bible for helping to tell this story in such a beautiful way!

What Macklemore Is Teaching The Church About Homosexuality

If you haven’t heard about Macklemore, it probably won’t be long before you do (if you have a teenager, ask them about the song Thrift Shop. They’ll know.).

His name is Ben Haggerty, he’s from Seattle, and he is one of the breakout musicians of 2012. Some would say he’s just another hack trying to get his name in the top ten. Others would say he’s redefining modern rap.

A friend shared his music with me when it released last October. I didn’t know who he was, but I thought he had talent.

Then I got to the fifth song on the album.

It’s called Same Love. It opens with the sound of a warm and inviting, yet distant organ that instantly conjures the image of a church in your head (I’m sure this was on purpose). The first line further caught my attention.

“When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was gay, cuz I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight.”

The rest of the song is nothing short of captivating. Musically, I really like it. Lyrically, it is telling of one of the major conflicts of our generation: rights for homosexuals in marriage. This has been a hot-button issue for a while, and I don’t intend to simplify it. I do, however, want us to listen to the words and the heart of this song.

I don’t even want to change what you believe. I just want to shine some light on the perception of the Christian community. If perception is reality, I think we’ve done a poor job of showing love.

With this post, I just want to look at 7 portions of Macklemore’s Same Love, with the hopes that we might learn something.

1. He brings us to the heart of the matter. Disagree with me if you like. The homosexual community is hurting and I’m afraid “the Jesus people” are the ones throwing the darts. The heart of that matter is not that homosexuals are going to Hell. Rather, it is that God loves us and He is pursuing us! Woe to those who step in the way of that Pursuit. Liars are going to Hell, too, by the way.

2. He shows us the perception of fear-based belief.

“And you can be cured with some treatment in religion. Man-made rewiring of a predisposition, playing God. Ah nah, here we go. America, the brave, still fears what we don’t know. And God loves all His children is somehow forgotten. But we paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago.”

There are times in the song that he seems to be talking to the church and nation interchangeably. I can only speak to what I believe, so I’ll say this: My strongly-held belief that God has a plan for us comes from the Bible. What I want to say is that my belief is not based on fear; its based on my Father’s plan. That’s it. The Bible is our written authority.

3. He reminds Christians that it has never been okay to use our words flippantly.

“Gay is synonymous with the lesser.”

First and foremost, I’m guilty of this. I don’t know many people who aren’t. What is inexcusable is that we throw these words around as if they don’t hurt people. And we don’t care. Maybe my frustration comes from the Christians who will call someone a fag, but get up-in-arms when someone says something ugly about them. At any rate, the central issue is not what Christians believe the Bible says; it’s that too many Christians mindlessly spit venom.

4. He’s calling the church out.

“When I was at church, they taught me something else. If you preach hate at the service, those words aren’t anointed. The holy water that you soak in has been poisoned.”

This is a true statement: I don’t know any pastors who intend to “preach hate.” This speaks to a couple issues. First, the perception of our Biblical belief is that its hateful. I can handle that. Second, our well-intentioned preaching is drifting into off-mission religious bullhorning. That, I’m not okay with. This is my plea to pastors: YOUR WORDS MATTER. Please preach the Truth. But please preach the truth the way the Truth told you to preach. Follow the example that Jesus set for us. If anyone deserves your bullhorn, it’s the people inside your walls.

5. He reminds us that our ungracious words hurt.

“A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are.”

As a youth pastor, I have the honor of walking with students through their struggles. Unfortunately, this world crushes the heart of several of these precious students. The dangerous thought that enters their heart is that this life is just too hard for someone who struggles with homosexuality. Christian or not, they are taking their own life because of the hardship associated with their decisions. I don’t think “the gays” know where you stand on homosexuality. We need more grace. What if we actually became…friends with the people we preach to [gasp!]. Crazy things might happen. I know this: If you are actively involved in someone’s life, you’re not going to spit venomous words. In other words, our unbridled tongues show the nature of our nonmissional focus.

6. He appeals to unity.

“Whatever God you believe in, we come from the same one. Strip away the fear. Underneath its all the same love. About time that we raised up.”

I can’t help but picture Acts 2. I’m not after an interfaith movement. I’m not even after unity at the cost of Biblical authority. I just think that Jesus knew what He was doing when He prayed “that they would be one.” And the truth is this: there is one God. At the end of the day, He has spoken on this issue. Homosexuality is not God’s plan. But Jesus sure spent a lot of time with those who weren’t exercising God’s plan. And what’s more, when he “introduced God” to them, in the context of relationship, many of them changed! It’s not as if you can change them anyways. That’s God’s work. It’s our job to speak the truth in love.

7. He’s telling a story about pain.

“Love is patient. Love is kind. Not cryin’ on Sundays.”

You can believe what you want. The hurt and pain is evident. Please understand that I am not fighting for a faith community that repels pain. It’s inevitable. I’m simply afraid that some of the pain that people feel comes from our unbridled tongues. This lyric haunts me.

If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda for homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.

If I sound like I’m supporting the agenda against homosexual marriage rights, I’m not.

I will unapologetically declare that I think there’s a better way to introduce people to Jesus. And I’m afraid that our “preaching to the gays” has way more to do with impressing the people in the seats than it does with loving people. In fact, if we had the blessing of seeing Jesus, in human form, speak/act to this issue today, I’m betting all my chips that He would redirect our angst for justice into love.

Let us use our hands to point people to Jesus, rather than to hurl stones at the ungodly.

Why Your Good Ideas Aren't Working

If you find yourself in a fog of a lack of progress, this post might be for you. Incidentally, it’s for me, too.

We all have people we admire. Some of us admire those who are leading the charge in their field. What I mean by that is that they are pioneering a new trail. When they talk, we listen. Because they’ve stumbled onto something.

If we’re not careful, we’ll start to think that the “something” is what excites us, and not that person’s ability to process the idea in the first place.

You see, there’s a reason your good ideas aren’t gaining traction. I’m not here to diagnose that reason, but I’m going to take a wild stab that a lot of you have the same problem: execution.

Your brain is like a meth lab cooking up new ideas all the time (OK, bad example).

Your brain is like a factory, constantly pushing out new, creative ideas all the time. Better?

My guess is that you even have a place that those ideas happen. I have two of those: Starbucks and the Shower (true story). These bright, life-giving ideas light you up. Maybe they bring you to life inside; providing clarity to your life’s path.

Here’s the problem…

If you never chase your great ideas down, it doesn’t matter that you had them in the first place.

That may come off as harsh, but I’ll risk that in an effort to jump start us out of our paralysis of idea execution. We desperately need you to chase down your ideas. We need you to start that new thing. We need you to dream up that event. We need you to take that person to lunch and invite them into the madness inside your head.

We need you to take the risk. Because that person you admire took the risk. If your brilliant ideas never see the light of day, your impact will be less than your potential. And I’m in the school of thought that that is just not OK. Because your Creator has created you to bear His Image. He gave you a brilliant, mind-bending brain, with the capacity to dream big dreams!

So take the risk. Chase down those crazy ideas. Who knows? You might just change the world.

Recommended Reading: “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky

5 Overly Honest Confessions Of A Youth Pastor

I’m gonna break some rules today.

If you know anything about ministry, you know that transparency isn’t a strong suit of most Christians; especially Christian leaders. I’m no different.

But sometimes, it helps if we know that other leaders are dealing with the same issues we deal with. That’s the intention for this post. If it’s a success, it might be the beginning of a series. Here goes nothin’!

1. Often, I try to do ministry in my own strengths. I feel like I can push things through. This is nothing short of sin. It’s what Craig Groeschel calls, “Practical Atheism.” It’s when you believe that God exists, but you do ministry as if it’s all up to you. It’s funny how our actions expose our true beliefs. We’d never say it out loud, but our beliefs are manifested in our actions.

2. Sometimes, I want to hide in a corner. I’m not a natural leader by any stretch of the imagination. Every single piece of leadership ability in me is learned. That means that I can easily crumble in uncertain times. My default is fear. I have to find strength in God every day. I’m not naturally fearless. I have to talk myself into following God most times.

3. I’m an introverted leader. Most days, I feel like that’s a weakness, even though studies are showing that introverts can lead just as well as extroverts. It doesn’t matter. I still question my leadership ability in the shadow of extroverted leaders who thrive in a crowd. That’s something I battle often.

4. The most painful moment in my day is when a student goes out of their way to avoid me. It doesn’t matter why. Most times, it happens because the student hasn’t been in church in a long time. Sometimes, it’s because the student has been into stuff they shouldn’t be. I’m sure there are a lot of times that students don’t like something I said or did. Whatever the case, I hate it. I wish I could somehow explain that I’d LOVE for them talk to me through their struggles, rather than run in the fear that I’ll be upset.

5. I hate teenage relationships. Yeah, I was in them and no, I don’t expect my students to be perfect. But I can’t help but hate to see when a bad breakup happens. It’s especially bad when two students in the same student ministry date, break up, and then engage in the awkward, “Who stays and who goes” thing. I don’t have a solution for this yet.

Don't Quit After One Bad Day

If you’ve been in ministry longer than six months, you know that a bad day can tank your confidence and make you question your call.  You know that one unfortunate event can distract you completely and that one piece of criticism can drain you until you start to believe the lie that you aren’t worth squat.

You know, like I do, that when something doesn’t go right, you can begin to question your effectiveness. And in those moments, even the best of us are tempted to throw in the towel.

Some of my best friends are going through paralyzing struggles right now. Some of the most faithful men I know are up against pressures that would drive most men to cry in a corner in fetal position.

I know what its like to want to quit after a bad day.

But don’t you ever forget that the great cloud of witnesses that are cheering you on didn’t quit. The faithful men and women who have gone before you fought tirelessly for years.

The Bible can be tough to read sometimes. We see stories of struggle just a couple verses away from stories of triumph. Our culture points us to immediate results. And if we’re not careful, we can read the Bible as a book of stories of people who saw results immediately.

But the Bible doesn’t record every day of every person’s journey. Some seasons were summed up in a couple verses. Some people had their whole lives summed up in a single sentence.

Decades. In one sentence.

Surely, there must have been days that nothing happened. Yet, they didn’t throw in the towel.

So, don’t think that you deserve your results today. Don’t expect them tomorrow. Stay grinding until God brings those results to pass. And let us never forget that Hebrews 11 ends with a phenomenally striking verse:

“And all these [faithful men and women], though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”

Hebrews 11:39-40

Don’t quit after one bad day. Don’t let that one person get under your skin. Don’t let that one unfortunate result kill your passion. Persevere. See it through. God is the Author and Perfecter of your faith and He isstill the One equipping you!

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

Hebrews 10:39

To Be A Hero

This post is not what you think.
This is not a “how to.” Rather, it’s a “how NOT to.”

Youth ministry is a funny thing. It used to be the red-headed stepchild of church…
…until people started doing it well.
…until people saw the potential in teenagers.
…until they realized that teenagers can be phenomenal leaders.

There were plenty of youth ministry heroes in the stepchild age. At the very least, if you did youth ministry when it wasn’t popular, it was noble. It wasn’t glamorous.

You were a hero to so many. In fact, my youth pastor was and is my hero. I’m so thankful for him!

But, it is what happened next that is so dangerous.

The students who had hero youth pastors started to become youth pastors. They got in a church, started working in the trenches, and followed in the footsteps of their hero. And somewhere along the line, they weren’t doing youth ministry to glorify God anymore.

They were in it to be the hero.

All of the work this person does is built toward one main goal: that one day, those kids will turn around and say “thank you.” Maybe one day, you’ll be introduced as their hero.
You’ll wear the cape.
You’ll save the day.
Your name will be in the newspapers of their heart.

I’ve fallen into this trap before, and I want to help you if you have to. One of the main reasons that this is such a problem is that it is the antithesis of youth ministry. Our calling, as youth pastors, is to point students to Jesus. Period. We are to make much of Jesus; not to make much of US making much of Jesus. We aren’t the target. Jesus is.

This is a lose-lose situation:
1. When someone else is the hero, you’ll be jealous. You lose.
2. When you’re the hero, you’ve made your heroism an idol. You lose.

You might become a hero. And if you are a hero in someone’s life because of the God-honoring work you do, that’s awesome.

But don’t chase the wrong thing. Chase after the God-honoring work.That way, when it’s thankless, it’s worth it. Because you honored God!