Teen Kicked Out of Church

How would you handle this situation? – What do you think should be done?

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.558650&w=425&h=350&fv=playerId%3Dvideolandingpage%26referralObject%3D531126%26referralPlaylistId%3D949437d0db05ed5f5b9954dc049d70b0c12f2749]

Chasing Daylight Chapter 4 Thoughts (Part 2)

Here are some quotes from Chapter 4 of Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus, that have really stood out to me. The chapter is on “Influence.”

  • Influence is defined as “power affecting a person, thing, or course of events” – especially one that operates without without any direct or apparent effort.
  • Many times we conclude we are powerless because we cannot changes things “up.” Those who hold positions of power and authority simply will not see things our way. All too often when we cannot change things up, we conclude that we cannot change anything.
  • How many times have we concluded we were powerless to make a difference because the available resources were withheld from us?
  • Two roadblocks that often mislead us are lack of authority and lack of resources.
  • [In the story about Jonathan and Saul referenced in the book] Saul was paralyzed because he had too much to lose. **My Note: I never want to be paralyzed because I have too much to lose.**
  • Title, position, and authority may hold power, but influence travels through relationships. And in the end, influence is the fountainhead of power.
  • The essence of influence is to win the heart and soul of another person through the strength of your own character and personhood. This is why influence is always more powerful than authority. Authority can shape what a person does, but influence shapes who a person becomes.
  • All of us pass a bit of ourselves on to others. You better like who you are and make what you give to others from yourself a gift and not a curse.

Are You Listening?

I just finished reading this article by Doug Fields on Simply Youth Ministry’s Articles page. It was so good I wanted to share. Take a minute and read the excerpt and head on over to check out the whole article! It doesn’t matter who you deal with in Life, children, adults, or teens, this article is transferable…

Are You Listening
By Doug Fields

I was recently at Weinersnitzel eating one of America’s finest meals-the tube steak kabob…affectionately known by connoisseurs as a Corn Dog. As I was moving to my seat, I see a high school student reading the Di Vinci Code. I asked him, “How do you like that book?” Honestly, I thought that it was a very easy question and I would get a very quick response! That’s not what happened! Continue Reading

The 2008 Orange Conference Final Thoughts

The 2008 Orange Conference Rocked!

I posted highlights from each of the main sessions on my blog: (Sessions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) it was the first time I blogged anything live, it was challenging keeping up with the likes of Louie Giglio and Francis Chan, because while you type they can throw out like 3 huge thoughts that are essential to their talk.

Modeling Leadership: The over all message that I heard throughout the conference was that our children and students need adult leaders to model being the kind of church they are to be when they take on the roles of the adult leaders in the future. – The big issue I see here is the need for adult education, because if you are awake and a leader in the church, you may have heard by now that the church is in decline, that’s because our adults are modeling a church they were shown, and its disconnecting with this generation.

Being Versus Doing: I think Louie Giglio ended the conference with a great message. He opened by asking the crowd, “What if we decided to just BE the church?” He did a great talk about how the church cannot make relevancy its “golden calf,” but his fear is, that the contemporary church has already done so, and that the modern church will make social justice their “golden calf.”

I think the best point was that we should choose to be a transcendent church, being the church of Jesus Christ as our goal, versus trying to always be relevant. The problem with relevance is that you will always be a step behind, because the person who is setting the pace for “relevancy” is always going to be a step ahead, but with the church, we have Jesus and He was before us, He is with us, and He will be after us. It doesn’t matter what happens with culture ahead of us, because Jesus will be there.

Breakouts: Were good minus 1. I did not care too much for the UNEDITED: reThinking Student Ministry. Then again I have been to some of the top notch student ministry conferences in the country and I get to hang out with the absolute best youth pastors in the country and Doug Fields once a year, so I may be a little spoiled? In this breakout it felt like the session never gained traction!

Breakouts “Engaging Parents of Teens” with Chap Clark, “Mobilizing the Next Generation” with Stuart Hall, and “College Prep: Protecting our Investment in Kids” with Chuck Bomar was absolutely awesome. I am going to have to email these speakers to get their notes as I could not keep up. Every single session was top notch. Continue reading “The 2008 Orange Conference Final Thoughts”