Wow…that must have taken him all day to think of and write! Oh well, it’s Got me thinking.

• I’m thankful for the Call of God on my life to be  preacher.
• I pray God will continue to use My family and I here in Utah
• Loving the fact that we are not in the “bible belt” just the “Mormon belt”
• I pray that I will continue to grow daily. To take things that people say and find the way I can learn and grow from it.
• If I focus on my abilities, I will always feel overwhelmed and inadequate…if I focus on WHO God is and WHAT He has done, I will feel confident and secure.
• If I focus on my past, I will live in defeat…if I focus on my potential in Christ, I will live in victory.
• If I focus on this life, I will have zero urgency to share the Gospel…if I focus on the fact that eternity is reality for every person on the planet, I will do all that I can to share the Gospel with those I claim that I love and care for.

Pastors and church leaders will ALWAYS have to deal with distractions…Keep your head up. You are making a diffrence!

I read this earlyer today…I think it goes well here!

It’s from Pastor Perry Noble’s blog www.perrynoble.com

October is pastors appreciation month and I wanted to take this opportunity today to say “THANK YOU” to every pastor.  Seriously, I don’t care what denomination you belong to, what the size of your church is or what your preferences are in regards to a worship style…

THANK YOU…for…

The times you have woke up at night and could not go back to sleep because you were so burdened for the people in your church…and so for the next several hours you prayed for those whom God has entrusted to your care and they were not even aware of it.

The times of intense spiritual warfare that you have endured.  You have experienced things that you don’t talk about a lot…but I know about the attacks on you and your family, the nightmares, the intense feelings of inadequacy…and yet you have persevered through them because you know that the ONE who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

The conversations that you have had with people that no one will know about, the ones that took place behind the scenes, out of the eye of the public.  You took the time to talk to that one person and did it because you care and not because you felt like you would be rewarded for it.  It made a difference.

For the sacrifices that you have made that no one will ever know about.  You have sacrificed time, personal preferences, money, sleep and your own reputation…you have paid a price that most people will never see this side of eternity, and the Lord IS USING your faithfulness to make a difference.

For the times you wanted to quit but didn’t.  We’ve all wanted to quit (usually on Monday’s!)  But Jesus pressed into you and you pressed on because, at the end of the day, you are consumed with Jesus and HIS GOSPEL…and you could not even fathom doing anything else.

For the times you have wept over the condition of people in your church and over people far from God.  For allowing what breaks God’s heart to break yours.

For the days when you have dared to dream big and have refused to give up on the vision you know the Lord has placed inside of you.

For the times you have been criticized and slandered against by people who have never even met you and are clueless in regards to your heart for the Lord.  They have misquoted you, taken you out of context and tried to destroy you with their word twisting and hate filled inaccuracies.  And yet you have persevered, you have resisted the urge to fight with them, keeping your eyes on Jesus and refusing to come down off of the wall.

For ALL that you do!  Seriously…you matter!  YOU MATTER so much to God that He not only saved you but called you into ministry, He entrusted you with a gift, a calling and a message…and He is with you, He will NEVER leave you or forsake you.  You can trust Him and He didn’t call you to flame out or burn out but rather to IMPACT this world through the preaching of His Son Jesus Christ.

You may feel overworked, overwhelmed and under appreciated…but I am here to say as a fellow pastor…THANK YOU!  I don’t care if you have 15 people in your church or 150,000…what you do MATTERS!  THANK YOU…I consider it an honor to be on the same team with you and it is my prayer that all of us will keep our eyes on Jesus and press forward as we have been given a job to do!

I love you guys!  THANK YOU!  YOU MATTER!  Now let’s get out there and CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

Actions speak louder than words. Whether parents like it or not, kids see the priorities and values they set for the family and it makes a difference on how kids live their lives. All the hype over the past couple years about the student drop-out rate from church seems to be focused at the church, specifically the youth workers.

Almost every other week I see a new Chicken Little article about how the sky is falling and that youth ministry is failing miserably. However, the biblical structure of raising kids is through the parents, not church youth workers. Statistically, the kids who graduate from high school and stay in the church are not those who had a super-dynamic youth group. Rather, it’s those whose parents have intentionally passed on the faith. Of course, this assumes that parents have a living and vital faith that’s worth passing on.

As much as we hate to admit it, we have a lot of parents who are sold out to the world and give lip-service in church, so their kids see that and do the same. Teenagers reflect what they see in the church.

According to the Family Driven Faith audio series by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr., 92% of families don’t have devotions together even once a year. He also says that the average Christian family has less than 30 minutes of spiritual discussion each week. Maybe the church should focus more on discipling parents who will in turn pass that on to their kids.

Here are a few questions that every Student Pastor and or Leader NEEDS to be asking parents*

1. What’s going on in your family and your kid’s life right now that would help me and the youth leaders know how to best work with your student?
We’re here to partner with parents, but no partnership works very well if the partners are off doing different things without communicating with each other. Ask parents about what they see going in in their kid’s lives that would be helpful information for you and any other appropriate youth leaders to know. What stories are both you and the parents hearing about school? What indicators of spiritual growth do you and the parents see coming from their life? Listen to parents share stories, but be sure you also share with them stories and insights you’ve picked up through their involvement in the ministry.

2. How can the youth ministry support you and your family better?
After you’ve heard a bit about what’s happening in that kid’s life at home, ask parents how they feel the youth ministry can best come alongside and continue to support them. That’s doesn’t mean you should bow to their every request — sometimes their expectations will be unrealistic. Use those times to gently share why you can’t or shouldn’t meet those expectations while giving an alternate suggestion that’s more appropriate.

3. How are YOU doing spiritually right now?
We all know that the spirituality of the parents is often reflected in their students, except their kids don’t try to hide it as much. That’s why the spiritual health of the students is often dependant on the spiritual health of their parents. Kids reflect what they see modeled for them. Ensure that parents are growing spiritually and that it’s overflowing into their family, their children, their teenagers, and their marriages.

This article is written by Tim Schmoyer

Tim is the founder of Life In Student Ministry and is dedicated to facilitating discussions among Christian youth workers about youth ministry. He is the author of the Youth Specialties/Zondervan book, “Life In Student Ministry: Practical Conversations on Thriving in Youth Ministry,” a national youth leader trainer, speaker, and a super-volunteer at his church.

I just got this book in a few days ago… I have not even started reading it yet. But, as I was looking around the web this morning I came across this Blog at www.rethinkingyouthministry.com  and a blog that was Posted by Brian Kirk. I’m even more intrested now to finish this book and write my thought on this subject….More on this in the coming days! 

Starting Wednesday night September 7th at 7:00: A 9 week sieres called>

November 9th a 3 week series called>

And then coming In December>

#winning has not been a trending topic on twitter for a few weeks, Charlie Sheen is still alive somewhere, and no one has listened to a MGMT for at least a month. If ‘Kids’ is still your ringtone you better change it now. The current trends of today will be irrelevant tomorrow, the issue is, in the church, specifically youth ministry we get so caught up in current trends, only for those trends and our ministry to fade away as fast as they came.

Exhibit A: Skateboard ministry. We all have noticed skateboarding come and go, and come and go in our communities. It seems one day every kid skateboards and the next day no one skateboards. A skateboard ministry is born, free gear, stickers!, sodas, and skateparks trips. In weeks the skateboard ministry grows to over 30 kids, who all love skateboarding. What was the focus of the ministry? Skateboarding or showing kids the Gospel through skateboarding? How long does that ministry last? What happens to the students when that trend fades away?

The skateboard ministry peaked in a matter of months and slowly diminished along with the students (so we started a pokemon ministry).

Exhibit B: Napoleon Dynamite. I am guilty as charged. For a few months Napoleon Dynamite was the lead into our sunday morning program. Who can stop growth when you have The Postal Service blaring over the sound system with Napoleon Dynamite clips playing all over the walls because you have the best projectors ever. The students loved it, they brought friends, friends brought friends, and our group at the time went through a serious time of numerical growth. What was the focus of the ministry? Napoleon Dynamite or showing kids the Gospel through Napoleon Dynamite? How long does that ministry last? What happens to the students when that trend fades away?

Napoleon Dynamite was funny for a few weeks but then the students just wanted something else (How can you match Napoleon Dynamite?).

For some of you, I lost your attention when I used 2004’s church buzz word, ‘relevant.’ I hope the rest of you are still reading. The face of youth ministry is always changing but the core should remain regardless. We try so hard to stay current with the culture and times, that we almost completely forget about the gospel message. Short term growth can be found in current trends, but it is almost impossible to stay on that growth path, because just like trends our students are always changing as well. When we focus on the Gospel message, and bringing about a Christ-like community, the trends can come and go but the students will remain. Is your ministry based on current trends or on the Gospel message?

 Now I have been in Student ministry full-time for 11 years….I’ve seen some really great Ideas and some really bad ones! Here are a few videos I’ve found that really drive this point home. I’ll let you be the judge. Let me know what you think!

You Know this guy got fired!

Well I have to be honest this is a hard post to write. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even want to think about it. I spent most of this week trying to actively not thinking about it. But, after talking to my wife last night and us praying and thanking God for the past year of our lives and the blessing we have received in the midst of the hardest time we have gone through up to this point, I decide it was time to write about the events of this week one year ago.

Today  is the one year anniversary of me getting fired from “TCC” in Ringgold Ga. Not only I but all the staff (accept the new pastor in the course of his first 8 months).

The story in a nutshell – I got fired a year ago today. My son Kaden was born just hours later, early in the morning of the 15th. Last year on this day  I got a call ealry in the morning from good old “father time” took me to lunch and it was at that lunch meeting he handed me this…”18 signs you have lost your mind” hand written on it, you can see it at www.perrynoble.com it actually called “18 signs a staff member has lost his mind” Anyhow, after I was handed that it was back to the church, I was met with the news from the man himself. I asked if I could please have 2 months to work this out. One, I needed the money. Two, that would give me 2 months to start finding another church and Three, so the student didn’t think I was just leaving them. But they could hear my heart…I was told I could have 2 months to make the process smoother (Also; So I didn’t have to go tell my wife who was about to give birth that I had just been fired), Kaden was born just hours later and after 5 nights in the hospital because of complications all was well.

Until I received a phone call from the “pastor” the day after we got out of the hospital telling me that I could not have 2 months but that the upcoming Sunday would be my last day at the church (Kadens first day at church) and I needed to write out a resignation letter that I could read to the youth group… WHAT! I had been fired, I was not resigning! But I was promised that if I wrote a resignation letter I could have 4 months severance pay and a year of insurance. Well, I had no job lined up so I did it. Only under one term that I could read it to the whole church not just the youth group. To that I was told No. And I was also told to never come back. To this day I’ve not received one check of severance pay and insurance was cut off just days after Kaden was born. (still paying on ALL the medical bills from his birth)

WOW. My world went crazy…. It’s kinda like life got put into this huge blender, turned on high but the top was not put on…LIFE WAS GOING EVERYWHERE.. I had a new-born baby at home and Huge rent payment and a wife that was on maternity leave. What was I going to do?!?!

We spent 7 months struggling, but looking back a year later my goodness did God provided all the way through. That’s the important part of the story – God provided. That’s the awesome part! I don’t even know if I can recount all that God provided

I found enough part-time work mowing grass and traveling with the group Three Bridges singing on the weekends and preaching here and there to help ends meet. I also want to give a big thank you right here to Billy at Burning Bush for allowing me to speak the week after so the student that were apart of our student ministry could hear my heart and know that I loved them and I was not leaving them by choice and that I would always be their youth pastor, not just for the 3 years we had together…(Go read the post two down from this).

That doesn’t mean that everything was hunky-dory. It was a difficult time. There was uncertainty, anger, confusion, sadness, and all sorts of other emotions. There were many times that we thought we’d found the direction God wanted us to go in, only to have the door slammed in our face. Then, when we reached the very end of our financial/mental tether, we found a church that wanted to hire us. After being a candidate at 7 churches God opened a door here in Salt Lake City, Utah for us at the Canyons Church www.Canyonschurch.com WE LOVE IT HERE! The student God has blessed us with are amazing… We are super excited to watch them grow and discover who they are in Christ as well as His plan for their lives!  We found a house 10 minutes from the church in a nice neighborhood that is just the right size for our family. God’s provisions go on and on and on.

It was a tough year, but one that I believe we grew significantly in.From this ordeal, I believe we learned several things.

• I LOVE MY WIFE and FAMILY!

Kym is the most amazing person I have ever met in my life. I love her so much. The events of this past year made us closer than ever. I’ll never forget that night we got home from the hospital and I told her the news that I had lost my job at the church. She just hugged me and we both just stood there at the foot of our bed crying like babies. As we cried we prayed that God would provide for us, and that we would be great parents for this new baby boy. After I was done praying she said,

“Honey?”,
“Ya, I answered.
“Why do people have to be so mean?”
“I don’t know.”
“well, I still love you. And, don’t forget you’re the best Dad in the world And God is going to provide for our family”.

I can not put into word on this blog to tell you how much my wife means to me. But I do know this; I can’t do anything without her! Ha ha, I just fall apart when she’s gone. And God has blessed us with a very healthy talking/walking/EATING EVERYTHING little one year old and another baby boy on the way!

• God is in control

It’s hard to believe sometime when you’re in the midst of the storm, but God is still there and He still is in control. Because as a man my instinct was to be the one in charge providing. Thankfully I let God handle things because who knows where I would be if I tried to do things my way.

• Recognize your emotions

Being fired is an emotional ordeal! I had good days and I had terrible days. Recognize and honor your God-given emotions. It’s ok to grieve, to be angry, to be sad and even to be depressed. It stinks! Don’t repress them or try to be all macho. Don’t buy into the Christianese junk that says you have to be happy all the time. Jesus wept, so can you.

• Don’t let your emotions control you

This one was hard, even for someone who is not an overly emotional person such as myself. There were days when despair would threaten to overwhelm me.  Other days anger would be the dominate emotion. It took a lot of help to not be overwhelmed and to be the one in control of my emotions rather than the other way around.

• People are good – and not so good

This is probably a good life lesson in general but it really came through in this past year. We had so many great friends who supported us, encouraged us, and helped us. It was awesome to see. I got to talk and connect or reconnect with many friends who encouraged me. On the flip side, I saw how horrible people could be. We had people from the church we were let go from who were our dear friends who wanted nothing to do with us after we were let go. We had others who said that it was just fine to kick a family out with no job  and that everything would be just fine. Others said that there were plenty of jobs out there (in the worst economy in 50 years, sure). I’ve had to learn to ignore the bad people and cherish the good people (obviously still working on the first part!)

• This too shall pass

At times, it seems like nothing can go right and the world is crumbling around you. In times like those it’s good to remember that there will be a way out. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. The ironic thing is that the more we think things will never get better the less likely they will. Times get tough sometimes, but they won’t stay that way.

• God is fair – life is not

This one was hard to learn as well. Life is not fair. That’s pretty true. But don’t confuse your momentary life circumstances with God. God loves us and He takes care of us. That doesn’t mean He rids life of all unfairness. Would I rather have had things go smoothly and perfectly? Sure I would. But God has taken care of me through the whole ordeal, even when I was ticked off at Him. This is probably a whole book of theological thought, so I’ll just leave it as that.

• Growth does come through adversity

We preach and teach this, but when it comes to us we say, “Why me God?” Yet it’s true, we grow more when we struggle than when things are fine and dandy. I don’t think God caused this so I can grow (again, a theological discussion for another day) but I went through the experience so I might as well emerge from the other side a better person, Christian, husband, father, minister, etc.

Being fired was the worst thing that has happened to me and my family in a long time. Not just losing my job, but losing my friends, the suffering my family and I went through, and the uncertainty of the future. But a year later I can look back and praise God that He was faithful to us the whole time and He never turned His back on us. If you are going through this, I hope this encouraged you a little bit. If you need someone to talk to you can always contact me. If you’ve been through this before I’d love to hear your responses as well.

Wait on the Lord be of good courage, and He will give you strength. Wait, I say on the Lord       

 Psalm 24:17

And here are a few video that really helped us get through the storm we were in.

Not so much the music video..But the words to this song

01. Final Destination

As obvious as it may seem, the proper selection of your final destination is vital. I don’t know if you can count taking a road trip to Inola, OK as a win. Set your sights high when planning. Your destination doesn’t necessarily have to be exotic, but you should consider big cities, maybe someplace with a beach or perhaps mountains. or even grandmas house with awesome food!

02. Your Posse

Do not blow this one. Who you decide to roll with could very well make or break your road trip. Consider the dynamic of the group you will be road-tripping with, while keeping a few points in mind.

• 1. you need a good navigator/co-pilot. This person should be steady, reliable and an innovator. Oh, and of course they must posses a natural awareness of direction. As much fun as life on the road can be, there are few things worse than wasting time cos of a missed exit. It’s awkward for everyone involved.
• 2. avoid people with TBS. Tiny Bladder Syndrome. There’s nothing more frustrating than someone forcing a bathroom break when you are in the driving groove. Don’t let their flow interrupt yours.
• 3. make sure you have at least one person who you can rely on to bring some life to the trip. You want someone who is a good conversationalist and who will still be right there with you when you are settled in for the long haul.

03. Soundtrack

What would a road trip be without music? Before your trip, get your music collection together. Obviously, the time you must spend on this is directly proportional to the time you will be spending in the car. Lean towards high-energy songs and throw in several that will get everyone singing. Watch for a theme song to emerge. This is usually one that gets everyone in the car to react. Also, be sure to build a power set. When you are pushing 500+ miles, you will need a boost.

04. Snack Attack

This one is easy: you need something chocolate (but not too much), something crunchy (branch out from chips- maybe give wheat thins a whirl), something sweet (red vines) and something sour (sour gummy worms). Get treats that will stimulate the palette and give you energy to keep going. However, you must stick to the basics. A road trip is not the time to be off exploring the periphery of the food families (this includes ethnic foods). You can’t afford to run the risk of unknown side effects. Do it for the sake of everyone else in the car.

05. The Running Joke.

On your trip you’ve got to have a good joke to refer back to throughout the duration. Don’t force this- let it develop naturally during the course of your journey. When it hits, it will be obvious to everyone involved. It really is a magical thing. A good joke will last for the entire trip. A great joke will last for years to come. Think of it as a free souvenir. I still have jokes from road trips in the early 90’s. You know, from before when some of you were even born. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

I hope these help you the next time you take it to the streets. I wish you great success. and merry christmas!

You might be asking “why is JC promoting a band on his blog”…Well, my cousin Zec Dallas is the lead singer..Plus I love this band!

They will rock your face off!

If you are a Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, Concert promoter or even a Disk Jockey..These boys are good!

And they can do….

1.The music for your Disciple Now weekends

2. Lead worship/concert @ youth rallies

3. Concerts

4. lead worship for your summer/winter camp

5. Lead worship for your Church services

I’ve used them for all of the above! Check out the web site and give them a call…