A New Friend
I want to introduce you to a new Facebook friend of mine Jay Tucker. Jay Tucker is a full-time youth minister in South Florida. Before getting paid, Jay worked as a volunteer in virtually every capacity a church could invent for 8 years. I can tell Jay has a heart for the local church and for teenagers. Based on an interview that I heard, checking out his blog and our brief interaction online this dude is a difference maker.
He just wrote his first book, The Whole Youth Worker, it is an insiders look at the Monday through Friday of youth ministry. In his book Jay talks about his own experiences being a professional youth minister as well as the important role that physical health plays in being the success you were called to be.
Jay is sending me a copy of his book to read and from what I can tell just from the chapter headings, anybody who is in ministry will benefit from this book.
Check out Jay’s website at www.betteryouthministry.com
FSM Weekend in Review: Volume 2
Weekend Teaching Series: Week 1 of our new 4-week series “The Family Series”
Sermon Title: What goes on under your roof?
Sermon in a Sentence: God Cares more about your family than you do.
Scripture: Ephesians 6, Exodus 20
Weekend Scale of Difficulty: 6 out of 10. We had 2 new songs. A Nickelback song, we did an artistic element with an easel, 2 Videos and group announcements.
Attendance: Down 21% from last month, up 197% from same weekend last year
Service Length: 85 minutes
Understandable Message: This message started with an alarm clock going off throughout the whole message. The end idea on that is we have a conditioned response towards our parents like we do every morning with the snooze button. We shared how God can heal families and He cares more about their families than they do. We gave them some actions steps to improve communication with parents and siblings. There was a lot of laughter but there was also a challenge to honor the way that God has called us to honor.
Volunteer/Student Involvement: We had students and leaders greeting and all of our video/audio and lighting was done by Fellowship staff members. Confidence comes in knowing you have the best possible team behind what your doing.
Element of Fun/Positive Environment: Group announcements was entertaining. We had students/leaders coming up and write out pains on a easel and during the final song we had two volunteers come up and write the name of Jesus in red to cover all their pains, very symbolic. Announced that Kyle was leaving May 2nd after his internship and it was a fun approach.
Music Playlist: take it all, let the praises ring, all because of Jesus, lift high, when our hearts sing, overcome
Favorite Moment: I think my favorite moment was the end song and watching the students with tears in their raising their hands to worship their God freely.
Next up: Sexed…a 4 week series on what God says about sex
Weekend Wrap Up
- UNITED was awesome last night.
- Our Fellowship staff did an amazing job of doing everything technical
- We almost were streaming live but ran into some last minute glitches…I think next month might be the month
- Our praise band was awesome. Donny has really developed into a great worship leader and we so many guys sacrifice and give time last night to really rock some difficult songs.
- Launched the Nickelback song Gotta Be Somebody and it was good.
- Did a cool abstract art piece during worship that was pretty powerful.
- Talked about respecting and honoring families.
- Had 107 total with 5 students receiving Christ
- Church was good today…we had so many people sign up to get into a life group and to serve on Sunday mornings.
- Not to late to sign up for that.
- We have a baptism March 22 and some of our students are getting really excited.
- Great turnout tonight for life groups.
- Got a lot of students to start Twittering.
- Heading to a camp planning meeting tomorrow
It’s a…
Jess and I wanted to publicly tell everyone that she is pregnant with our third child. She is about three and a half months and is due in the beginning of September. We so desperately want a little girl, with another boy we are very close to our own basketball team. Pray things go well, pray it’s a girl, pray our boys handle a baby around, pray the baby will be able to handle the boys around.
Crazy Lady
And we wonder why people don’t want anything to do with God or the church. Kevin Murrell at Northway church in New York is having to deal with this lady today as she is protesting at one of their local schools today. People like this really tick me off. I love politics and I love to debate but this is the sort of thing I know better to stay away from.
Books #3
I was told by somebody recently that they don’t read because they don’t have time. I found that interesting because to me that is saying, I don’t have time to learn. I’d rather figure it out the hard way. To be honest I am good reader but I never really enjoyed it until I realized that I could learn a lot more from others than I could trying to figure it out on my own and I realized very quickly that the pain was less harsh. I hope you take the chance to read and allow others to instill wisdom into your life…once again these are a few more books that are shaping me and the ministry I lead.
Help, I’m A Student Leader, What Matters Most, Refuel by Doug Fields, Saddleback Church and Simply Youth Ministry
Starving Jesus by Craig Gross and JR Mahon founders of XXX Church
In a Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor of National Community Church
Max Q by Andy Stanley, Lead Pastor of North Point Community Church
Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher, President of Youth Specialties This is the book that is currently challenging me and affirming me. I have believed for a very long time that the way student ministry was being done was losing it’s effectiveness. I so badly want churches to see how important before the age of eighteen is. I thought the ideas that Mark shared in this book come from his extensive history working in middle school and his heart to see our impact to be a movement not an emotional gust.
Throw Back
I found this online while looking up something from 1996 and it is the intro of the Chicago Bulls starting line-up at game 6 of the NBA finals against at that time the Seattle Super Sonics. As I listened to this a flood of memories came back like nostalgia. I remember where I was watching these games and who I was with. It’s amazing how a song, scent, a simple noise can remind you of where you were and what you were doing. I can remember the song I had on in the car to pick up a girl for a date the song on the radio for my first kiss, the song I was listening to for my first ticket (which was the day I got my license) and I can remember the song I listened to when I was told by my parents I was moving for my senior year.
Our mind is powerful and it can bring up the good and the bad. What is that smell or sound that triggers emotions from your past?
Spring Forward
Just a reminder that on Saturday we move our clocks an hour forward and lose an hour of sleep.
Books #2
Today I am sharing four more books that have made an impact on me and the ministries that I lead.
Pop Goes The Church by Tim Stevens who is an Executive Pastor at Granger Community Church
UnChristian by David Kinnaman who is president of The Barna Group and Gabe Lyons who is the founder of the Fermi Project
Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
Simply Strategic Volunteers by Tim Stevens and Tony Morgan, Tony is Chief Strategic Officer at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC
I’ll have more book later this week. Check out the links associated with each author. They are leaders in their area of influence.
Pointless SNL Video
Andy Samberg may be the next Will Ferrell. This guy is hilarious and obviously doesn’t care what people think of him. Here is just a short funny clip that he did on a recent SNL.
