| "What if?" |
From Dare 2 Share Ministries International on Friday, May 24, 2013 @ 6:03 PM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
I posted this video awhile back. It's worth posting (and watching) again!
How do you make disciples? We can help! |
| Book I"m Currently Reading - Taking your church to the next level. |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Friday, May 24, 2013 @ 7:34 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
| Next Door Savior - A Review |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Friday, May 24, 2013 @ 7:32 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Just finished Reading Max Lucado's Next Door Savior.
I admit I'm an avid reader of Lucado's. I like his style. Very simple to the point. The point of the book's premise is easy that our Savior wants to know us. Our great Commander In Chief wants a relationship with us. Max takes scriptures, stories and helps point us to well, Jesus.
This book helps not dumb down the gospel but simplify it to let us know that Jesus - 100% God and also 100% man understands us and what we go through.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
| Flashback Friday (May 24): This Week's Links From The Youth Ministry Blogosphere |
From youthministry360 on Friday, May 24, 2013 @ 4:12 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
One of the things we are committed to at ym360 is Networking. Our vision for networking is connecting you to people and organizations doing awesome youth ministry.Flashback Friday is a feature where we give you the run down of some of the awesome posts from the past week across youth ministry blogs. Consider it our way of keeping you connected with what is going on. This week's posts from the ym360 BlogEvaluating the Purpose of Your Discipleship Programs by Andy Blanks The Problem With Perfectionism In Your Youth Ministry by Christopher WesleyShepherding Teenagers (And Parents) Through "Let Down" Moments by Danny BowersYouth Worker BOOST: Inside Out by Richard Parker Posts From Other Awesome PeopleWe search the Internet to bring you relevant information to help you be a better youth worker. Here are some links from posts we thought were pretty great.Reaching super busy students turned out to be really easy… By Aaron HelmanThe importance of appropriately differentiating your faith from your student's by Benjamin Kerns5 Basic Communication Practices by Christopher WesleyGo Ahead...Spoil Her by Danny BowersBalancing Relationships and Goals by Doug FranklinBoundaries for Youth Leaders by Josh EvansHow To Effectively Change Up Your Summer Youth Ministry Schedule by Leneita FixWhy Apologetics Still Matter in Youth Ministry by Rachel Blom5 BIG Reasons why you SHOULD go on a Short-Term Mission Trip by Robbie MackenzieThe Boys are Back in Town by Steven Orel That's all the links for this week. As always, have an awesome weekend . . . And THANK YOU for the chance to serve you as part of the ym360 community. |
| Why apologetics still matter in youth work |
From Youth Leaders Academy on Friday, May 24, 2013 @ 2:13 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Apologetics, also known as the ability to 'defend' your faith, has gotten a bit of a bad rep over the last years. Many have argued that this generation of young people doesn't care about facts anymore, that it's not logic that will convince them of God, but experiences. At the Youth Work Summit, Ruth McGarahan [...]You just finished reading Why apologetics still matter in youth work! Have you subscribed to our free biweekly newsletter yet? |
| Full NYWC Schedule is Now Available |
From Youth Specialties on Thursday, May 23, 2013 @ 3:18 PM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
We are so excited to announce that all the details for the National Youth Worker's Convention this fall are now available at NYWC.com.
You can see the full schedule, speakers, artists, and intensive learning lab info for both San Diego and Nashville.
We can't wait to see you there!
Check out the Schedules here:
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| How four teenagers changed the world |
From Dare 2 Share Ministries International on Thursday, May 23, 2013 @ 8:52 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Thousands of years ago four orphaned, Jewish teenagers were forced to march to a hostile country and immersed in headfirst into paganism. They were taught the dark arts and learned the inner secrets of the magicians and soothsayers of their powerful captors.
Did they protest? No! Instead they studied hard and advanced to the top of their class. In the midst of the idolatry around them, they never lost their passion for God, theological convictions or moral core. Instead their passion for God grew stronger, their theology grew deeper and their convictions became clearer.
Soon they were in leadership positions in this polytheistic culture filled with violence, sex, witchcraft and idolatry. When three of them were commanded to bow before an idol they refused. But they survived the fiery wrath an an angry tyrant by the power and presence of Jesus Christ.
These four teenagers were stellar examples of having burning hearts for God, bright minds for learning, calloused hands for working and strong spines filled with the molten steel of uncompromising resolve.
By now you probably know who I'm talking about: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and, the leader of the wolf pack, Daniel. What may surprise you is that they were most likely between 13-15 years old when they were taken into captivity which means that, after three years of training, they were in leadership positions by their late teens.
Imagine these four teen friends being chained and marched to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. Imagine their conversations among themselves as they made the long, long walk. It may have been during this time they resolved among themselves, not just to refuse to compromise, but to reverse the very culture they were being immersed in.
And that's exactly what they did.
After seeing three of the four survive the fiery furnace (with not even a singed beard) and hearing Daniel prophesy seven years of humbling insanity for the proud king, Nebuchadnezzar had a full mental break down. For seven years he became King Crazy Hobo. He slept outside, grew his fingernails as long as talons and ate grass with his bovine buddies.
After seven years of pure craziness the king came to his senses, humbled himself and turned to the true God of the universe in faith. He actually wrote Daniel 4 to share his salvation story. He ended the chapter with these words, "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase."
The mightiest King of one of the mightiest empires in human history was brought to his knees by the testimony of one prophesying young man, three uncompromising young men and seven insane years of judgment.
Imagine the implications throughout Babylon at the conversion of the King. No longer would Jews have to hide or hold their heads in shame. The king served their King! And it all started because four teenagers made a pact to serve God wholeheartedly when they were whisked away to a foreign culture.
In the same way, a small but determined team of uncompromising teenagers can learn to reverse the pagan culture they have been immersed in. They don't need to protest or picket the pagan culture around them. They don't need to burn their laptops or throw their smartphones in the trash. Instead they need to infiltrate this culture, accelerate in it and then reverse it through the power of prayer, uncompromising conviction and a bold-meets-loving-meets-shrewd proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Four teenagers changed the world back in the Old Testament. Four teenagers can change the world again today. If you're a teenager, get your cause crew ready to live in reverse. If you're a youth leader get your teens signed up for the brand new conference tour from Dare 2 Share called The Reverse Tour. |
| Evaluating the Purpose of Your Discipleship Programs |
From youthministry360 on Thursday, May 23, 2013 @ 6:00 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
Though it was 18 years ago, I still remember it pretty clearly. It was one of my least favorite parts of Marine Corps Boot Camp. No, it wasn't an obstacle course, a uniform inspection, or physical training. It was a little thing called "field day." Performing a "field day" was basically cleaning your room. Except the room was a squad bay. And it was the Marine Corps version of "cleaning." Instead of mops, you pushed a towel as fast as you could run on all fours. Yup, I would rather crawl through a mud-filled trench under barbed-wire than sweep the floor with a shoe shine brush. The real thing that made "field days" so frustrating to me was that there was no real defined goal. There was no set purpose. When we began, we had no idea of when it would end. The cleanliness of the squad bay had nothing to do with it. We were at the mercy of our Drill Instructors and their agenda, or lack of one.I wonder sometimes if the teenagers in our youth groups see our discipleship efforts this way.Now, I am not comparing our discipleship groups to Boot Camp. (We might need to talk about your methodology if there is too much similarity between the two.) But, I do wonder how your students would respond if you asked them to articulate the goal or purpose of your discipleship initiatives.What would they say? How would they answer? I imagine for many of us, our students would have a hard time articulating the purpose or goal of our discipleship programs, because they have not been properly informed of them. Sadly, many youth ministries just aren't that strategic. Could you answer these questions about your discipleship program?What is the stated goal? In other words, what do you want to achieve in the lives of your students? Is this goal birthed out of Scripture? Does it correspond with any one of the many biblical descriptions of a mature Christ-follower?How are you measuring your effectiveness? In other words, are you concerned with whether or not it's working?Are students held accountable for their growth towards your stated goal? If students are not growing in their faith, if they are not taking discipleship seriously (for whatever reason) do you have a process or plan to help intervene?What role do your discipleship programs play in your larger youth ministry philosophy? Field-days were horrible. But they were part of a very calculated plan to shape young men and women into Marines. How does your discipleship initiative integrate with and serve the rest of your youth ministry vision?Whenever I write or speak about discipleship in such a procedural manner, I'm tempted to cringe a little inside. I naturally resist taking something so spiritual and organic and treating it in what could seem like a rather sterile, or "assembly-line" manner. Honestly, I'm more personally drawn to the "mysterious" and beautiful parts of Spirit-fueled transformation that occur when a teenager "gets it." But, if we're not intentional about our purposes for discipleship, if we are not specific in the goals we set for our students, we run the risk of being ineffective. And in this discussion, being ineffective means potentially seeing a young man or woman fall short in the area of their spiritual growth.With stakes this high, I'd rather err on the side of making sure we have a process in mind, any day. |
| 10 preaching tips from Tony Campolo |
From Youth Leaders Academy on Thursday, May 23, 2013 @ 1:47 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
When I saw Tony Campolo was leading a preaching master class on the early day of the Youth Work Summit, I immediately booked this stream. He's a brilliant communicator and I was pretty stoked to be able to spend a whole day learning from him. And I have to say: he didn't disappoint. He was [...]You just finished reading 10 preaching tips from Tony Campolo! Have you subscribed to our free biweekly newsletter yet? |
| Junior 2 week of Camp - Oak Hill Christian Service Camp |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 @ 11:53 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
I'm going ...how about you?http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
| Hebrews Sermon Series |
From Deep Thoughts by Gman on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 @ 11:52 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/ZioO |
| Youth Worker BOOST: Inside Out |
From youthministry360 on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 @ 5:45 AM PST
in the "Resources" Category.
ym360 knows youth workers. We know what an incredibly rewarding, yet incredibly challenging job youth ministry can be. There are days when your spirits are sky-high, and there are days when you could use a bit of a "pick me up" from God's Word . . . That's why we're happy to offerYouth Worker BOOST, one of the many valuable resources on the ym360 Blog.BOOST is a short, weekly piece of encouragement designed to, well, "boost" your spirits and encourage you as you minister to students. We consider it yet another great opportunity to serve you and your ministry.CLICK HERE to have the Youth Worker Boost delivered right to your inbox whenever we publish a new one! We call these the E-BOOST! "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."--2 Timothy 3:16-17Don't you love filling out your bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament? If you're like most people, it doesn't take you very long before you realize that your predictions are just awful. What if next year you decided to work from the end of the tourney backwards to the beginning? In other words, pick your national champion and then pick games in reverse all the way back to round number one. Call it your "Backwards Strategy." It couldn't turn out any worse, could it?While the Backwards Strategy might work for your March Madness bracket, it's a crummy way to go about teaching the Bible.Yet, we're all at least a little guilty of it, aren't we? We decide what topic we want to cover then go find the Scripture to back up our point. I believe that Paul would suggest that we should always let our teaching start with scripture. Make sure what you prepare or the material you use has the Bible as the main focus.You may be a great teacher but it is the inspired word of God that is "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"Our prayer for you: We pray that you would be empowered to teach your students the Bible in a way that plainly sets forth God's truth. And we pray that you would lead them to apply these truths in a way that is transformational in their lives. Look for a new Youth Worker Boost each Wednesday on the ym360 Blog.Last Week's BOOST: Hello NeighborNext Week's BOOST: You're Not Alone Get more BOOST articles HERE! |
| How To Effectively Change Up Your Summer Youth Ministry Schedule |
From YouthWorkTalk.com on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 @ 5:00 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
One of the age-old debates in youth ministry is, "Do we take the summer off?" I have always landed on the side of NO! As a matter of fact just last week I asked some of my students if they would like to have an intentional "leadership" group over the summer. Crickets. Then came the [...]You just finished reading How To Effectively Change Up Your Summer Youth Ministry Schedule! |
| What young people look for in religion (YWS13 part 2) |
From Youth Leaders Academy on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 @ 1:27 AM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Tony Campolo kicked off the early day of the Youth Work Summit with a general introduction. He quoted Pew research that has discovered three things that young people look for in religion, but usually don't find: Spirituality Authenticity Hopeful eschatology If we want to reach young people with the gospel, if we want our youth [...]You just finished reading What young people look for in religion (YWS13 part 2)! Have you subscribed to our free biweekly newsletter yet? |
| Interview With Craig Gross |
From YouthMinistry.com on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 @ 9:56 PM PST
in the "Blog" Category.
Our longtime friend, Craig Gross, founder of XXXchurch.com has a passion for helping men and women break free from the grip of pornography. XXXchurch.com has helped thousands of people develop a deeper level of personal accountability as well as providing some safeguards for the ever-increasing amount of time they are spending online. It's with this backdrop that Craig wrote his newest book, "Open", which is dedicated to helping people develop a lifestyle of honest, real, accountability with one another. Today, we thought we'd let Craig tell us a little more about this fantastic new book.
So, this book is for everyone: male and female, young and old. Why do you think the Christian community, and the world at large, needs this book today?
Today we live in a world where people can sit face to face over a meal, but their heads are buried, looking down at their phones, tweeting about what they are eating or who they are with or taking Instagram photos of both.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sex sells. Sex tempts. Sex lies. Sex glorifies. Download Best Sex Ever from Author Doug Fields.
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We are connected more than ever, but the surface-ness of those connections often leave us feeling completely disconnected. We share, tweet, and like things online, but not very often do we do those things in real time with real people over real topics that are sometimes heavy. We are not meant to do life alone and the Christian community should encourage people—the rest of the world, really—to try and be open and real and honest with people. Those things are difficult and don't come naturally, so I tried to share some practical ways how to do that in Open and help people see that it not only is it worth it but that it's necessary and doable. Anyone can be open.
You've built a ministry and a name around the concept of sexual purity and the dangers of pornography. Why this book, now? Why expand your message to a broader audience?
We deal with people who have secrets every day, and at the end of the day secrets will kill you. Secrets will tear apart your family and your relationships. This book is not just about porn and it is not just about secrets and the bad things but rather encouraging people to see that we are better together.read more |
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