Wise fool

“A wise fool has learned not to take oneself too seriously or to respond to defensively. One accepts the fact that life is laced with surprises and embarrassments; one relinquishes the demand to always be above shame. The wise fool has given up tensions of feeling self imposed expectations of complete competence and constant superiority. The wise fool who fumbles can shrug with self accepting chagrin and being temporarily less than expected; the wise fool who stumbles can smile and laugh at the faux pas.” - David Augsberger

5 questions to keep asking

I came across these five questions from Bill Phillips and I think they are worth keeping and asking regularly, both for personal and ministry development. The questions aren't new, they were just a great reminder.

1. Where are you now?
2. Where are you going?
3. Why?
4. When?
5. How?

Fruit that will last

John 15:6 "...but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last."

This phrase has captured my heart this year, "fruit that will last." I'm wrestling with what a student ministry should look like that produces "fruit that will last." I keep coming back to what the foundation for doing student ministry is - The Great Commandment and the The Great Commission. If I don't start here, I don't think I'll make it. Everyday I wake up I am thinking about graduating students who possess a Great Commandment Heart and desire to live a Great Commission Life.

What consumes you in youth ministry?

This morning I have been reflecting on Psalm 69:9 and what consumes me as I serve as a student ministry pastor,

"for zeal for your house consumes me.."

David's words ignite a fire in my soul to be passionate, not about my own ministry, but HIS house. I want to be a leader who is consumed with the perspective that Jesus issued to Peter when he said to him, "Upon you, I will build my church."

It's his house, not my ministry. I am not building my ministry, Jesus is.

What we can learn from spaghetti sauce?

Malcolm Gladwell spoke at TEDS and offers an interesting window for us to look into to evaluate youth ministry.

What can youth ministry learn from spaghetti sauce?

- My students don't always know what they want.
- What's extra chunky?
- Are we asking the right questions?
- Who's stepping into your student ministry to help you think?
- There are universals for student ministry - Great Commandment, Great Commission, Acts 2:42-47.

Thoughts?

Within a yard of hell

Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop
Within a yard of hell.

C.T. Studd

Thinking about worship

Several years ago my senior pastor encouraged me to think about worship in these five ways:

1. Worship is about God; it is not about us.
2. Worship is a relationship and lifestyle before it is a Sunday activity.
3. Worship has both content and emotion.
4. Public worship is personal but it is not private.
5. Worship requires variety to give it the richness God deserves

How can these five suggestions enrich and deepen your thinking and implementation of worship in your student ministry?

Quality vs. Quantity

One of my leaders, Jon, shared this interesting post with me, "Simple Guidelines for Workday Quality Over Quantity."

How would this schedule change the way you do student ministry?

QUALITY vs quantity, UX process.
Check email ONLY:

• 10AM
• 1PM
• 4PM

Send any time
Set email to check every 3 hours.
NO email on evenings.
NO email on weekends.
EMERGENCY? = Use phone.

FOCUS 1-3 Activities max/day
LOG 1-3 Succinct status bullets every day on team wiki

MINIMIZE chat
MAXIMIZE single-tasking

OUT by 5:30PM
~No excuses~