Published July 22, 2008 by

Pick the meat from the bones (or vice versa)

Somewhat disassociated with the previous post (kind of, kind of not) was that on Sunday evening we had a guy come speak to the youth/young adults at our church.

To be honest, I wasn’t really very impressed. Yes he said some good stuff, but I don’t understand and it disturbs me when what someone is saying in regards to Christianity starts sounding like a bit of motivational guru. And although I know the intentions are good when you’re talking about being more expectant of how God can use you, but it’s such a fraying rope between explaining God’s role in this and our role, and when our role seems to wear the boots it’s just plain wrong. Just how highly can you think of yourself? There were also some other small things that made me frown…

Yes humans are fallible and I as much as any, but when you’re ‘teaching’ there surely must be some kind of extra care when choosing words? God forbid I ever have to be in such an influential role – it’d scare the pants off me.

Church at the moment frustrates me. The one I am in is growing and although that’s very positive, it comes with challenges, both organisational and personal. It was interesting to condense one very big community into a smaller demographic, I think on the whole I deal better with a smaller community. Yet I’m still trying to evaluate where youth fit in with some of those ‘smaller communities’ that I’d probably jump at otherwise. I still really, really love my youth kids.

One of the topics of the evening was prophesy (we split off into smaller groups). Anyway God gave me a good old, needed kick up the bum with something and encouragement in another area (that is also thought matter). Thanks Ruth and Kerrie!

I had a good old chat with Susannah post-prophecy-stuff about what we thought, what was good, what we didn’t really get/agree with etc. The whole evening my brain did not stay still, sifting and sorting information into take it or leave it.

Someone once gave me this helpful metaphor of eating fish. None of this battered stuff that comes with chips, but the real deal -meat and bones. Sometimes it’s like eating fish. There’s meat there, but you have to pick out the bones leave them to one side. Take the good, ignore the crap. There must come a point though when there just becomes too many bones to bother with eating in the first place…

Christianity Church

Church evalutative God kick up the bum skeptic speaker youth

Published June 18, 2008 by

Bottled Church and leggy ideas

horsewomanFeel the vibrations of something resonating!

‘Emerging’ Church is a Gen X not a Gen Y Phenomenon

Cheers to Mark Sayers (who is a fine communicator might I add… he took us through Evangelism stuff during YITS).

To be honest I don’t know if I think overtly about the whole Gen Y stuff even in working with youth, perhaps because in many ways I fall into it myself.

Then there’s this emerging stuff. I love going to Forge and reading stuff by Brian McLaren and what not, but there are things that frustrate me about the Emerging church. It often seems more talk than do, and that frustration seeps in, even when we endeavor to close the cracks. Or perhaps this is simply the expression I see in myself (I am a navel gazer at heart) and I feel ill equipped to take it further.

But I want to.

This is why hearing people like Steve Drinkall was so good. Once I get it, I don’t really want more ideas, unless they are ideas for manifestations of action. At the moment, it’s like I’ve bottled all this stuff and my life is kind of sitting up on the shelf looking pretty but waiting to be used and be useful.

In my own youth crew, I see great passion but often great uncertainty, which think might come from values pushed into them via those above them. If anything this generation needs people to walk with, not books to read. Did I just say that? Not books to read.

Give ideas legs then so we can run and run far.

image source

Christianity Church

sometimes I feel stuck youth

Published May 24, 2008 by

Changes

I haven’t mentioned them previously due to either uncertainty or confidentiality but there have been some pretty significant changes going on.

In two weeks Geoff finishes up where he’s worked for the last three years for a new job – closer to what he originally wanted to do with IT. It’s been a slow and interesting haul working out what was happening and if he/we’d actually head down that route.

And last night Geoff and I let the youth kids know that we’d be finishing up at the end of this term. This too has been a long and interesting journey. Because to be utterly honest we don’t want to be finishing up.

I’m really not sure about the whole often held idea that God has a set plan laid out for our lives, but regardless I think this is what we need to be doing, and we’ve kind of been told. We have no idea what’s next. In some way it’s a part of establishing what it means to be a Christian and not to be a part of such an obvious ‘ministry’ (Gosh I’m starting to really hate that word). It’s a sucky thing to be leaving youth behind, it will be interesting to see what’s ahead, but for now, I’d rather be back hanging out with 14 year olds. What lies ahead for the youth at YVV is also in question, please be praying for that, there’s no smackingly clear direction or person.

Christianity Church Life Ministry

Christianity Church God plans youth

Published February 18, 2008 by

Youth Resources

dan-mccarthy7.jpgAfter all my whinging, the internet is not totally destitute of quality help for stuck youth leaders.

In my digging for something that we needed for youth on Sunday FAST, which I didn’t end up fulfilling (but things wound up okay), I found a whole lot of intriguing and useful blogs. Along with design related thing – a spawn from Church Marketing Sucks. Interesting.

Chase these links:

Church Marketing Lab – brochures/cards/flyers/posters done by people for Churches, some pretty good work here. I have a small bit of fun doing youth programs now and then, but I really don’t produce masterpieces. This might inspire me.

Jonny Baker – check the ‘Worship Tricks’ on the right hand side.

Passionately Pensive – her writing is fun and she shares ideas now and then.

Rethinking Youth Ministry – the title says it.

If you know of any other good ones please share.

image by Dan McArthy (I sourced it from somewhere else… but as usual I have forgotten where) regardless, there’s something pretty timeless and beautiful about it.

Blogging Christianity Church Design Ministry

Blogs church marketing youth youth leading