Bought My Disneyland Pass

---

I got my Disneyland pass tonight. I’ve never been a Disney kind of person, but I’m about the only person I know without a pass. I was there tonight just long enough to get my pass before the park closed. I got to see the fireworks show including Tinkerbell & Dumbo flying across the park.

Seeing the crowds, the lights and meeting up with friends who have had passes for a long time, I could tell I’ve been missing out on part of Southern California culture all these years. I’m glad and excited to discover all things Disney for the first time in my life. Since I live about 10 minutes from Disneyland, I expect to go a lot, even if it’s just for a couple of hours at times.

For those in SoCal, I was amazed at how affordable it is. I paid $72 today & will pay $30/month for unlimited parking & entrance to Disneyland & California Adventure. Since a lot of students and leaders in our ministry go on a regular basis, I see this as a relational ministry paradise.

Life Lessons: Spiritual Dryness

My mom travels a lot this time of year. When she’s gone, I water her plants for her. Because we’re having the hottest weather of the year right now, I got to thinking I better put a lot of water on her flower beds. By being generous with the water, it can absorb deeper into the soil so it doesn’t all evaporate when the day is at it’s hottest.

As I’m doing this, it occurs to me how that’s a great illustration of an important spiritual principle. When I’m spending time with God in his word, through prayer, worship, service, etc, I can can have a quick, shallow visit with him. When I don’t allow myself to be saturated with him through the process, I get a shallow experience that evaporates when life heats up.

This is a valuable illustration for teaching my small group students about connecting with God on a deeper level. However, it’s definitely something that helps me think through my own connection with God, as well. I like the idea of being saturated as I spend time with him. I can tell the difference when I’m not.

News: Facebook Releases Great Update for iPhone

My fellow iPhone users will be very happy to know that the Facebook for iPhone has finally been unleashed. From what little I’ve seen so far, it’s better than the web version. I’m very excited to put it to use. If you’ve read my blogs about Facebook, you know how much I love using Facebook for youth ministry. It’s the best tool out right now for keeping up with students and communicating with them quickly.

Here’s a list of what’s new… (Scroll down for screen shots)

---

Here are a couple of screen shots…

Free Training

---

I was on SimplyYouthMinistry.com‘s freebie section. They’ve had this for years, but I don’t go there often enough. They’ve got many great resources for free. Check it out by clicking here.

Real World Resources

Here’s a great example of something I’ll take a picture of around town for a future humor bit/visual aid to help me make a point while teaching.

An immediate application I can think of is for the verse which says a man who hears the word, but doesn’t do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and forgets what he looks like after he walks away (incredibly loose paraphrase). It’s kind of like this guy who drives around town looking stupid…

Leaders Are Learners, Readers, Thinkers

My pastor teaches that leaders are learners. He says, “Once you stop learning, you stop leading.”

I’ve gone through seasons when I feel like I’m out of material to make generic curriculum personal and applicable for my students. Nothing seems fresh. Teaching becomes a chore. I think it’s normal to go through dry seasons. However, sometimes dry seasons are brought on by neglecting to stretch our minds or create experiences.

Some ways I stay fresh and stretched mentally include:

– Reading books or magazines – Resources which focus on spiritual growth, self-improvement, trivial information and something that makes me laugh out loud (all types are important, but don’t need to happen simultaneously). For trivia and laughter, Mental Floss Magazine typically does the trick. MANY times what I read becomes part of my lesson or inspires an opening activity a Bible study.
– Getting out in public – Thought-provoking, maddening and funny things go on all around me when I’m in public and paying attention. Being reclusive tends to dry out my imagination and miss out on life lessons.
– Staying current on the news – I watch news or listen to a talk radio show every day… without fail.
– Telling stories – I love conversations with people where we tell stories back and forth. We don’t start the conversation for that purpose, it just happens. Often times stories I tell or hear tend to find their way into my teaching the following week. As I prepare my lesson, stories I’ve told or heard will be on my mind and can be readily inserted to make the lesson come alive. This also can be a great source of mind-stretching and hysterical laughter.

These are simple, yet important ways to keep the mind sharp, young and fresh, and stocked up with teachable moments.

Right now I’m reading:

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

The Sacred Romance, Desire, and Waking the Dead (Three Life Changing Books in One Volume)

I’d love to know what you’re reading or doing to keep yourself fresh for teaching. Leave a comment on this post to share your thoughts.

Give To Ceasar What Belongs To Him

Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to the Roman government or not?” But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Whom are you trying to fool with your trick questions? Here, show me the Roman coin used for the tax.” When they handed him the coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to him. But everything that belongs to God must be given to God.” His reply amazed them, and they went away. Matthew 22:17-22 (NLT)

This idea has been ringing in my head lately. I’m seeing this as applicable beyond money and taxes. The preoccupations we have with worldly issues can rob us of what God would do in and through us. How silly is it for us to get all worked up about what we do or don’t have? Give to Caesar what belongs to him so we can be free to serve God.

We get weighed down by credit card debt, promising so much of our time that there’s none left for daily time with God, getting worked up about what’s unfair, etc. Returning things we get from the world, but don’t need, frees up our resources to live the way God intended. That’s the opposite of the prosperity gospel, but with the same result. Our lives are richer as we unburden ourselves of what we don’t need from the world.

In youth ministry, we have an amazing opportunity to help students learn this early. Being unencumbered by the world is as important as any message we could ever teach about being disciples Christ after salvation. Having one makes room for the other.

YMToday.com Begins Using VolunteerYouthMinistry.com Material

I’m happy to announce YMToday.com has begun using material from VolunteerYouthMinistry.com. It’s an honor to see posts from my blog making its way into other parts of the web.

Stealthy Leadership

I’ve stumbled across a stealthy youth ministry idea lately that I will be intentional about from now on.

I’ve been carrying a book in the side pocket of my cargo shorts lately. I’ve also had a magazine in my car. Both have led to some interesting conversations and a great observation.

The questions I’ve been asked about the book have allowed me to tell students and other leaders about this entertaining book that also teaches a lot about the culture behind the Bible. I’ll review the book in a future post.

The other day students in my car picked up the book an magazine and read segments from each resource to out loud. It was very entertaining & educational. The sweet thing is I didn’t ask them to do this, they just did it out of curiosity.

The youth ministry principles I discovered is that I should:

1. Keep reading because it makes my mind sharper – more on that in a future post

2. Keep reading materials around that I want my students to be exposed to. Their curiosity will get them to look through it & maybe be inspired to read it.

Here’s a sneak peak at a future post I’ll write on the subject of reading: Rick Warren says, “Once you stop learning, you stop leading.” You can only lead students as far as you have gone yourself.

Growing Stronger Through Temptation

Luke 4:14 has given me some new perspective about temptation and how my obedience to God’s commands enhances the Holy Spirit’s power in my life. My mind is opening to a source of God’s power where I didn’t even think he was present. This new perspective is revolutionizing how I look at temptation.

What’s been on my mind is how the process of going through temptation, using God’s word to combat it, enables the Holy Spirit’s power to increase in my life. I’m internalizing this concept of the reward of the Holy Spirit’s strength in exchange for my obedience through temptation (Luke 4:14 – Jesus emerged from his temptation in the desert full of the Holy Spirit’s power). Typically, regardless of having victory over temptation or being defeated by it, I feel beaten up, weak and ashamed for being tempted.

The revolutionary aspect of this, in my mind, is seeing God’s role in temptation. While he doesn’t cause temptation (James 1:13), he can strengthen me through it. The typical perspective I’ve had is because temptation is evil, as long as I’m in that place of struggle, God takes a hands-off approach. He gives me the choice to embrace or resist, but leaves it at that. However, as I read in Jesus’ time of temptation, Jesus is led to the desert by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1) and is full of the Holy Spirit power when he returns victorious from it (Luke 4:14). The Holy Spirit plays an active role during our temptation directly related to our response to being tempted: We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit as we resist.

Bringing the concept of the strengthening of the Holy Spirit through my desert experiences gives me a whole new perspective on temptation. I can grow spiritually through temptation and emerge stronger instead of feeling shame for having gone through it regardless of the outcome.

While these are not new ideas, it is a new perspective for me. I’d love to know your thoughts on the subject.
– Have you seen temptation as a chance to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit or simply a curse caused by original sin?
– As youth workers, how do our students see temptation. Are they defeated or strengthened through the experience?

Let’s be sure to be renewed as we are delivered from temptation instead of defeated for having gone through it. Then let’s pass on the perspective to our students.