Making Decisions

As leaders we have to make tough decisions that not only affect us but even more importantly affect those that are around us. In making decisions we must be mindful of the big picture and be totally desperate to hear the voice of God to grant us clarity, wisdom, and discernment. Lately, I have had to make some really big decisions in order to prepare our ministry for the next level and I find myself asking questions:

1.)Does this decision compromise the Gospel?

2.) Does this decision negatively impact the vision or values?

3.) Is this something we could genuinely get excited about?

4.) Is this a temporary solution?

5.) Is this adding more to the plate or making things more simple?

6.) Is this excellence or extravagance?

7.) Am I looking only at what is good for my ministry or the whole entire church?

Give Them What They Need

God has gifted our student ministry with some incredible volunteers that go beyond their "call of duty" to make our ministry to students a success. As a leader I am always thinking and praying about what I need to do to allow them to succeed and flourish in their various roles. Beyond meetings, retreats, and food what is it that the volunteers on my team need to be successful and take their ministry to the next level?

1.) Structure and Leadership-raise the bar and protect it...I need to be hearing from God constantly and making sure my cup is full...how can I pour out from an empty cup?

2.) Encouragement-we all need it and I need to continually reinforce this

3.) Training & Learning Opportunities-I can't assume they know it all, I must provide them with the resources and expose them to other leaders and environments that will both inspire and challenge them

4.) Constant communication of support, direction, and vision-you wouldn't take a trip without a map or GPS, my team will be lost and there will be no unity if I am not constantly communicating direction and reiterating vision and values.

5.) I need to set them up to succeed-allow them to discover their gifts, leave room for mistakes and failure...allow them to serve in their sweet spot of success

Invitations

I have found myself thinking today about invitations...not the ones you get that invite you to a party or other social gathering...the ones where we student pastors stand before students challenging them to step across the line of faith and begin a relationship with Christ.  I have recently been reading Greg Stier's book, OUTBREAK, and I just thought I would share some of the pieces from that and possibly shed some light on what God's Word teaches us about leading students toward Jesus through these "invitations."  I am sure many of us have heard the phrase "ask Jesus into your heart," it is probably the most overused, unbiblical phrase used in the presentation of the gospel.  Many of us probably remember the Sunday school teacher pointing to the picture of Jesus standing at a door and knocking.  "That is the door to your heart, and Jesus wants to come in," they would say.  Then they'd quote Revelations 3:20:  "Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."  The problem is that that verse was not written for unbelievers.  John was writing to the Christians in the church of Laodicea.  The passage is not about salvation but about service and communion with God.  Not one passage in Scripture says we must "ask Jesus into our heart" to be saved. 

I remember as a child hearing my Sunday school teacher use this term almost every week.  I did not get it.  Sitting there in Sunday school as a seven-year old boy, I wondered, What if I get a heart transplant?  Will I go to hell?  If I cough too hard will Jesus escape through my mouth?  How do I really know He is in my heart?  If we are not clear in presenting the Gospel we limit its impact.  It was not until JR Vassar, an evangelist, finally explained the cross to me that I got it.  On June 17, 1997, I trusted Christ as my Savior thanks to the Spirit of God and a clear presentation of the Gospel message.  I really think when we just simplify following Christ down to just saying a prayer we set our students up to live a life that relies just on that prayer and not a daily walk with Christ.  Saying a prayer never saved anyone.  Faith in Christ alone is the only way.  I am convinced that there will be people in hell who said the sinner's prayer but never tryuly believed in the finished work of Christ.  My prayer is that we would challenge students to trust Christ with their lives, take that step towards Christ and then with Christ in this marathon of life.

153 Fish

I have a confession.  I'm a "secrets" and "methods" addict. I'm an info junkie.  I love reading non-fiction "How To" books of all kinds, especially those of other student pastors and veterans of the ministry.  But you know what?  Sometimes we can copy the method and miss the power!

Look at what I mean in John 21:1-14 (NLT)...

¹Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. ^F92 This is how it happened. ²Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

³Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

⁴At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn't see who he was. ⁵He called out,"Friends, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied.

⁶Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get plenty of fish!" So they did, and they couldn't draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.

⁷Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and swam ashore. ⁸The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only out about three hundred feet. ^F949When they got there, they saw that a charcoal fire was burning and fish were frying over it, and there was bread.

¹⁰"Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus said. ¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn.

¹²"Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. And no one dared ask him if he really was the Lord because they were sure of it. ¹³Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. ¹⁴This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

The disciples had been fishing all night and had caught ZERO fish.Jesus walks up and says, "Throw the net on the right-hand side of the boat." And what happens? They catch 153 LARGE fish!!!

I can't imagine after fishing all night long that they never had thrown the nets on the right-hand side. I think that they must have and not only that, they must have thrown them on that side many times that night!  But Jesus tells them to do it and BOOM, BOOYA = 153 LARGE fish! :)

What was the difference?  Was their technique better?  Were they copying some of the successful fisherman's style?  No. The only difference was Jesus! That's the most important difference!!  He anointed that moment. He caused the fish to be there and for them to get into the net!  Don't get me wrong. I think we need to learn the right methods and we need to do the right things.  All I'm saying is that without the power and anointing - without Jesus guiding us WHERE and HOW to do the methods - they're powerless.  I'm trying to make sure I pray more than ever and listen to him for the directions about where and what to do. It's the only way our ministry will succeed!  You know what else I like about this story?  When they got to shore, Jesus already had fish and bread!!!  He didn't need their fish. But they needed his power and anointing and direction.

Where Are You Running?

I came across this passage today and I have to admit the Old Testament is an areaI haven't spent a lot of time reading lately but it's funny how passages just jump out at you and grab your attention. There is a lot of history here, but to make things easier, 2 of David’s sons are Absalom and Amnon. Absalom had a smokin’ hot sister named Tamar, who happened to be Amnon’s half sister. Here is where things get interesting: Amnon wanted to get with Tamar…and yes, that’s pretty disgusting. Amnon came up with a plan and successfully raped Tamar and then threw her out. This really ticked off Absalom, and he eventually killed Amnon for doing what he did to Tamar. Although David was hurt when Amnon was killed, he did not seek revenge, but Absalom fled and lived with his grandfather. Joab, David’s nephew, knew that David really wanted to see Absalom, so he came up with a plan for them to meet. A lady named Tekoa helped him out by going before David, and you can read her story in 2 Samuel 14:5-11. But, her story was a parable and it’s purpose was to setup the real purpose for her visit. She then says:

“Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son. All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him” 2 Samuel 14:13-14

The last part of that passage stood out the most for a couple of reasons. First of all, every single person is valuable and important to God. He doesn’t just count them up as lost or “sweep” them under the rug. Secondly, because God values our lives, He “devises ways” to bring us back to Him. Regardless of where we are or how far away we run from God, we can never escape His reach. Even if we are in the deepest, darkest sin possible, God uses those things to point us back to Him. So, when we are running, the question isn’t where is God, the real question is where are we running? To God, or away from Him?

Who's Fault Is It?

I don’t really understand people who say things like, “The worship isn’t very good at my church,” or, “Our worship pastor doesn’t remove enough distractions for me to worship.” Man, this is America’s consumerism mentality at its worst. Since when does worship depend on a musical performance? Worship is not an event for 20 minutes on a Sunday morning, it’s a lifestyle of attributing worth to God in everything we say and do. Although worship includes singing, it also includes prayer, loving God, living blamelessly, sharing Christ with others, spending time in the Word, sacrificially serving those around us and more. We don’t go to church to worship, we go to church already worshiping. It can take place in a big church with a professional band and lighting, alone in the quietness of a closet or deep in the jungle of Africa. Worship is a week-long process, a lifestyle, not solely a Sunday morning activity. Sure, certain environments may promote an atmosphere of worship better than others, but worship never hinges upon such factors.

So if someone tells me they can’t worship at their church, who’s fault is that? True worship is not dependent on anyone or anything else other than ourselves and our heart’s attitude toward God.

Crash & Burn Part 2

6. Base your self-worth on the “success” of your ministry. You’re investing your life into this ministry thing! How it grows and flourishes indicates how important you are and how pleased God is with your labor. If your ministry is struggling, there must be something wrong with you.

7. Focus your ministry on programs. Remember that vision and relationships are secondary to programming. Look at Jesus for example: His ministry was all about getting things done, not about growing disciples through relationships or communicating His vision for the world.

8. Dwell on all the problems. So it turns out that your ministry is the only one in the world that isn’t perfect. Let it consume your thoughts, your heart and your emotions. It’s important to focus on internal problems so there’s no time left to reach the lost souls that are dying all around.

9. Avoid transparency at all costs. Vulnerability brings the potential for rejection, criticism, and people losing respect for you. As a church leader, everyone must think you’re perfect, strong and invincible. Otherwise, the perfect people in your church will have no reason to follow you.

10. Focus only on what’s in front of you. Dreaming a huge vision for the future only makes people feel uncomfortable, probably because of item #5. Passion can become contagious and take the ministry in scary and risky directions, so it’s best to avoid these dreams altogether. It’s always safer to wander aimlessly by staring at your feet than it is to walk toward God’s beautiful horizon and risk tripping.

Exciting Week Ahead

Words can't even begin to describe how excited I am about going on vacation with my beautiful wife.  I am praying that this will be a time of rest, nourishment, and growth.  It's gonna be great to take a week to just focus on my marriage and to be re-charged!!!     I thought I would give you a little glimpse of our itinerary...

Monday-Fly to Ft. Lauderdale and board the cruise ship for the Bahamas

Tuesday-Arrive at Freeport 

Wednesday-Arrive at Nassau

Thursday-Arrive at Great Stirrup Cay (Private Island for our Cruise Ship)

Friday-My B-Day, turn the big 25...now I can rent a car for the regular price.  Arrive back in Miami and then pick up rental car to head to Disney World for the day(2 of our SM volunteers BLESSED Heather and I with 2 hopper passes!)

Saturday-Drive back to Ft. Lauderdale to spend the rest of the weekend learning from and experiencing the culture of Flamingo Road Church...excited about learning about Internet Campus for Student Ministry and seeing their launch of the BIG series we are partnering together on...oh yeah, you better believe I will be taking in some authentic Cuban food, I have to...it's in my blood.

Sunday-Attend services at FR and then fly back to Myrtle Beach

Crash & Burn Part 1

Burn Out.  Now I know you might be thinking how is it that a 25 year old student pastor even has the nerve or right to talk about such a subject.  Well, burning out in ministry is not a sudden event in time that will take you by surprise, like a bursting firecracker on the 4th of July. Instead, it’s a slow process over time, like holding a burning match that can start even at the young age of 25.  If not careful and mindful, these things will creep up on you, burn you, and render your leadership useless.

1. Ignore spending time in the Word and in prayer. Ministry is easy — you can do it all in your own strength. It shouldn’t be based on God anyway. Spend all your time teaching others how to develop their relationship with God instead.

2. Accept responsibility for everything. Say “yes” to whatever is asked of you and your time. It doesn’t matter if it could easily be handled by a volunteer, take it on anyway because you’re the guy they pay to do it. Besides, there may be no one else willing or available to do it besides you, which obviously indicates how important it is to everyone else.

3. Become emotionally attached to every situation. Whenever someone has a need, be the first to jump in, provide all the emotional support they need and rescue them from the problem. After all, everyone needs a savior.

4. Always serve God in ministry. This is so important that you must sacrifice all personal down-time and fill it with good things like meetings, events, Bible studies, evangelism, mission trips, prayer groups, small groups, and knitting groups.

5. Attempt to control everything. Control all the planning, the results, the future, the people, the workplace, the weather and God. You are the sustainer of the ministry on whom it is all built. If you take your eyes off of any of anything it will collapse and fail miserably.

Perseverance

What’s the longest you had to persevere at any one thing? A week, several months? Perhaps even a few years? Noah holds what must be the record for perseverance. He spent 120 years building a very large boat on a mountain top in a time when it had never rained. Can you imagine the comments from neighbors and relatives? He and his family must have been a laughing stock for everyone in the area and even beyond. What he was doing seemed so fruitless and unnecessary, so worthless and wasteful. Why put all your time and resources into such a project? Sure, God told him to do it, but after building for a hundred years and not hearing anything more from God, you’d think he would get discouraged and quit. Wouldn’t you? But he persevered.

That’s what makes this such a remarkable story. He “ran with patience the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The key is to keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and not on our circumstances. Are you getting weary? Is it hard for you to keep persevering? Don’t quit, for we’ll be rewarded for it if we persevere. The enemy will do anything to discourage us and get our eyes off Jesus. God wants to develop perseverance in us because it makes us so much like Jesus Himself who persevered and never quit until He accomplished all God had for Him. So next time we get weary remember Noah toiling away for 120 years. Remember to keep your eye on the goal, not on the circumstances around you. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Attitude...

Attitude...a word we talked about at the beginning of our staff meeting yesterday as we journey through an awesome book "God's Armorbearer."  I have found myself lately really doing a self examination of my own attitude toward my ministry, co-workers, family, and just life in general.  I once heard the statement that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  I am in charge of my attitude.  As I continue to learn and grow I realize more and more that my attitude greatly affects my life.  My attitude has the potential to make or break my home life and church life and relationships with others.  I have a choice everyday regarding the attitude I embrace for that day.  I cannot change my past, I cannot change how people act, but I can play on the one string I do have and that is my attitude.

Anticipation

Theres A Revolution Coming! from Nick Hempsey on Vimeo.

Creating a sense of building anticipation is a classic and useful technique when it comes to marketing strategy. This is the theory behind "sneak previews" and unveiling new products, buildings, campaigns, etc. If you are developing something new, remodeling space, or making changes to your product or service line-you may find creating some curiosity and anticipation to be a great public relations effort.

We are building anticipation for  something HUGE. As a church we are about to set sail with something that is BIGGER than life and attempt to do something like none other. All I can say is that you don't want to miss the next month here at Barefoot...if there was ever a time to get people in the seats at church it is NOW!!! Come this weekend for a SNEAK PREVIEW of what is ahead. It will be a life changing, heart pounding, soul lifting....REVOLUTIONARY kind of experience!!!

Challenge to Influence...

Jesus captured the imagination and hearts of his followers by calling them to great acts of faith. "You give them something to eat," he told the disciples when they were wondering if it wasn't time to send the large crowds away so they could grab some grub (Mark 6:37). He invited Peter to join him for a stroll on the water (Matthew 14:29). Zacchaeus responded to Jesus' wild challenge to radically alter his lifestyle when announced his new wealth distribution plan at dinner (Luke 19:8). Time after time in the Gospels, you see Jesus stretch his followers continually, challenging them to become what they never had dreamed possible.

As student ministry leaders we should never lose sight of the importance of challenging students to do more or to do better. If we have a clear picture of what students can become in Christ; if they know we care about them and trust us; and if we're close enough to understand what they need most in their next step of growth; it's wrong for us NOT to see to influence them and challenge them. My challenge to us all is that we stay alert to the transformation that is happening in the lives of the students around us, so we can challenge them to greater depths.

Recharge

Take Time to Recharge from Amp'd Student Media on Vimeo.

Pay the Price

Time after time, success comes down to sacrifice---willingness to pay the price. The same is true of a winning team. Each member of the team must be willing to sacrifice time, energy, and resources to practice and prepare. Team members must be willing to be held accountable. Sacrifice their own desires. And be willing to give up part of themself for the team's success. It all comes down to the desire and dedication of the individuals on the team. Teamwork for a worthwhile vision makes it possible for common people to attain uncommon results. When we are not common people, but leaders, we can take things to a HNL (Hole Notha Level).

Make Note...

Inviting Others to Lead...

When you feel called to lead, and when you discover someone you really want and need to be involved in your endeavor, don’t be coy. Follow the example of Jesus and ask them to join you. People want to be asked and feel needed. Even when they say no—and some will—they will feel good about themselves and about you, simply because you asked. Sure, there will be times when others take the initiative to ask if they can join you in your ministry. This is fine, but don’t wait for it to happen, particularly where key people are concerned. If you feel called to lead, and you see your own Peter, Andrew, James, or John that you want alongside you, step up and ask them to join you, to “follow” you. 

Jesus called his disciples personally. So when inviting a key person to join you, resist the strong temptation to extend your invitation through a third party or some other impersonal means—a letter, email, or phone call. Perhaps fearing rejection or embarrassment, some leaders are reluctant to contact potential followers face-to-face, a true leadership mistake. Real leaders rise to the challenge of personally inviting to the team those persons necessary for the greatest success. No other invitations have the power and appeal of the one-on-one method. Jesus asked people to follow him, and so should we. 

Moving From Non-Essential to Essential...

If you have been in student ministry long enough, you know the recurring statistic that two-thirds of church going teenagers drop out of church between the ages of 18 and 22...that's 70% who leave and only 30% who remain.  Why?

 -Simply wanted a break from church. 

 -Church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical. 

 -Moved to college and stopped attending church. 

 -Work responsibilities prevented me from attending. 

 -Moved too far away from the church to continue attending. 

 -Became too busy though still wanted to attend. 

 -Didn’t feel connected to the people in my church. 

 -Disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social 

issues.

-Chose to spend more time with friends outside the church. 

-Was only going to church to please others.

In short, the main reason you see so many churchgoing students dropout of church is because it is not ESSENTIAL to their lives.  Students are more likely to stay in church if they see it as ESSENTIAL to their lives.  While this may seem incredibly obvious, the reality is that most churches in America are doing little to become essential to the lives of their members.  Church shouldn't be looked at as ONE option of many in the lives of our students.  

So how do we become essential?  One way is to SIMPLIFY. Get the structure right.  I believe this initially starts with the core values.  Everything should stem from our values.

What are we doing to create ENVIRONMENTS that relate to the needs of our students?  Are we challenging our students to reach their full God given POTENTIAL?  Are we encouraging students constantly to be in COMMUNITY with one another? Are students being challenged to step outside of themselves, and INFLUENCE the world around them? Is MOVEMENT toward their next steps towards and with Christ constantly being communicated into their life?  

These are all ESSENTIAL values to our church (the people, not the building).  What are we doing to inject these values into the lives of our students?

Fly Like An Eagle...

WOW!!! We just had an awesome weekend here at Barefoot...God spoke and people responded! As we continued on our in FACES series, we looked at the face of an eagle. All of us have a lot to learn from the eagle and Clay brought it home yesterday: Lead With Passion, Be A Great Steward, & Have A Great Vision. Here are some highlights from yesterday's services:

• It is November, tourist season is over with here in NMB, but we still had nearly 1,000 people in attendance here at Barefoot!!!
• We began sharing more about our upcoming Christmas series, people are getting pumped about the REVOLUTION...we had 60 people commit to serve as Pre-Revolution Team Leaders!!! Seriously, you don't wanna miss one week of our upcoming series! We launch it November 23!
• Our goal for this Thanksgiving is to feed 200 families in our area by partnering with North Strand Helping Hand. Yesterday was our first announcement of this and we collected over $2000 for turkey dinners. Let me break that down for you...$25.00 feeds a family of 6...That's over 80 families...nearly 500 individuals...and this was just our first week!!! More to come! Way to go Barefooters...Changing Lives That Change the World!!!
• I had an awesome time yesterday helping with the post-service sign-ups for our new series and Thanksgiving dinners. I seriously think I am gonna serve more often as a greeter and usher for our services...I had a blast!!!
• Oh yeah, 1 more thing...we had fresh made ice cream from the local creamery...WOW!!! Gotta love the birthday cake ice cream!
• My wife returned home last night!!! She has been gone for over a week!!! I can't even begin to tell you how much I missed her and how excited I was to see her!